Clock’s ticking: Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh (inset) have less than three months to prepare for the Asian Team Championships.
PETALING JAYA: No matter how strong Malaysia’s doubles line-up may be, success in the team events still hinges on having reliable singles players who can deliver points.
That reality was perhaps not lost on Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei when he presented the medals for the men’s singles event at the SEA Games in Thailand, with both Malaysians – Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh – standing on the podium with bronze.
Ironically, his former main rival from Indonesia, Taufik Hidayat, also stood on the same podium presenting the gold and silver medals to Alwi Farhan and Zaki Ubaidillah, neither of whom were Indonesia’s top men’s singles players.
The result, along with the disappointment of losing to Indonesia in the team final at the SEA Games in Bangkok, highlights what the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) must do to avoid a repeat at the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark, next May.
Chong Wei, who is also BAM performance committee chairman, feels there is no time to waste.
He said lessons from the SEA Games in Thailand must be applied to build a strong squad capable of winning the Thomas Cup again, last won at the 1992 edition.
With less than three months to go, Jun Hao, Justin, and other players are expected to be called up for the Asian Team Championships, which also serves as Thomas Cup qualifiers.
“We need to start preparations early. We don’t want to wait until January because the qualifiers in Qingdao are in February.
“Kenneth (Jonassen) will oversee the singles squad, and Rexy (Mainaky) will handle doubles. We discussed this before leaving for Bangkok,” said Chong Wei.
Chong Wei remains hopeful of men’s singles squad’s revival despite Jun Hao’s below-par performance in Bangkok.
In contrast, Justin showed promise in his SEA Games debut, defeating world No. 21 Jason Teh and former World Championships bronze medallist Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand in the quarter-finals before challenging Alwi Farhan in the semi-finals.
If Malaysia can secure the services of former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia, who is currently recovering from injury, it could boost the country’s chances of bringing home the Thomas Cup, last won in 1992.
“There is still hope. Jun Hao and Justin are our top players, and outside the national camp, we have Zii Jia.
“If Zii Jia can recover in time for the Thomas Cup, we can have him to represent the country. With his ranking, he could become our third singles player,” added Chong Wei.
