KUALA LUMPUR: Men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are taking a different approach in their build-up to the Asian Championships, shifting their focus to mental preparation ahead of the major tournament in Ningbo, China next Tuesday.
To support their mental preparation, the pair have been working with sports psychologist Lim Jin Xuan, who recently began her role at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to help strengthen the mental resilience of the national shuttlers at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun, seeded eighth at the tournament, are hoping for a breakthrough after struggling to go deep in past editions of the Asian Championships.
They made their debut at the 2022 edition in Manila, where they fell in the quarter-finals to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto. In the next two consecutive editions, their campaigns ended in the second round.
“I think having a sports psychologist is really helpful. She asked us what’s on our minds and guided us on how to clear them,” said Wei Chong, who had just completed his first session with Jin Xuan yesterday.
“On court, mental strength is just as important as physical training, so this kind of preparation is crucial. What matters most is that her presence gives players fresh ideas and helps us stay calm during matches.”
Wei Chong-Kai Wun are not expected to face much resistance in their opening match, where they are drawn against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pair Dey Ayyappan-Dhiren Ayyappan.
However, the real test is likely to come in the second round, where they are expected to face All-England runners-up Leo Rolly-Bagas Maulana. The Indonesian pair are tipped to get past Japan’s Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami in their opener.
“We’ve played them before at the Finland Open last year and we won that match. But they’ve improved a lot since then and even made it to the All-England final, so it definitely won’t be easy facing them this time.
