PETALING JAYA: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have kept their promise to be more selective with tournament entries for the elite players. Now, it is up to the athletes to repay that trust with strong results, starting with the All-England, which officially began yesterday.
Apart from men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who used last week’s German Open as a warm-up, the other key pairs – women’s doubles duo Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and mixed doubles pair Cheng Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei — are fully focused on the All-England.
National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said they wanted the players to dedicate their full attention to major tournaments, after being bogged down with fatigue and injuries in the past seasons.
“If you look at last year, many of our top players competed in too many tournaments and had less time to train. Their performances fell short because they were fatigued. It was not just physical exhaustion but mental fatigue as well, as their focus was constantly on preparing for tournaments,” said Rexy.
Last year’s All-England was a nightmare for Malaysia, as most national players fell early, including all three elite doubles pairs. Aaron suffered a wrist injury a few weeks prior, and he and Wooi Yik were eliminated in the opening round despite being seeded fifth. Tang Jie and Ee Wei faced the same fate, while Pearly and Thinaah fared slightly better, reaching the quarter-finals.
With the new changes in place, Rexy hopes the elite players can deliver in Birmingham, as thorough preparations were made before their departure.
Malaysia have not won the men’s doubles since Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong lifted the title in 2007. In the women’s doubles, the country has yet to claim a championship, while in mixed doubles, the best result came in 2017 when Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying finished runners-up.
“As the Olympic qualification period has not started, we are taking a fresh approach to improve overall player condition by being selective with tournament entries.
“We want our athletes to perform well at this major tournament. They can now focus fully, and their bodies are fresher,” Rexy added.
