PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie admit that Malaysia will feel the impact of Lee Zii Jia’s absence at the upcoming Sudirman Cup but believe the team’s unity and fighting spirit can still carry them far in Xiamen.
Zii Jia, the country’s top men’s singles shuttler, has been ruled out of the mixed team competition from April 27 to May 4 as he continues to recover from a foot injury.
Despite the setback, Soon Huat is confident that the 20-member squad have what it takes to at least emulate last year’s achievement, when Malaysia secured a bronze in Suzhou.
“Of course we’ll miss Zii Jia but we’ll do our best to contribute a point for the team,” said Soon Huat.
“Everyone will have to support each other, whether we win or lose, we go through it together.”
Soon Huat has also ruled out the possibility of stepping in for the men’s singles if the team are left short-handed, pointing out that he last played in the discipline nine years ago.
Instead, he suggested that other players be considered for the role should anything unforeseen happen to Leong Jun Hao or Justin Hoh.
“Maybe I’ll pass the baton to (Chen) Tang Jie or (Hoo) Pang Ron instead because my physical condition carries a higher risk now,” he added.
Nevertheless, Soon Huat doesn’t mind if he is required to pair up with a different partner to form a scratch pair for this tournament.
In addition to Soon Huat-Shevon, BAM has also named two other mixed doubles pairs Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Shu Yin and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei. However, Ee Wei-Tang Jie is currently facing internal conflicts and may be split if they are called upon to compete.
The husband and wife duo joined the centralised training camp at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Academy in Bukit Kiara yesterday alongside men’s doubles duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and other national players. The squad will train there until next Thursday before leaving for China.
Only women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei has yet to report for duty.
Two years ago in Suzhou, Soon Huat and Shevon were only called upon to compete in two matches, against India and Australia in the group stage.
For the other three matches, including those against Taiwan, Denmark in the quarter-finals, and South Korea in the semi-finals, Malaysia turned to Tang Jie-Ee Wei.
“We’re always ready. Whenever BAM calls on us, we’re prepared to play. Looking at the lineup and the opponents we’ll face, we trust the coach to handle the planning.
“As for Japan, they’ll be a tough challenge for us.
“But we’ll have to wait and see the strategy the coach devises and it’s possible he may decide to mix up the pairings,” said Soon Huat.
