GOH Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are hoping to finally get their hands on an Asian Games medal in what could be their last appearance at the continental showpiece.
Soon Huat, 36, and Shevon, 33, have featured in the last two editions of the Games at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and Hangzhou 2022.
But the mixed doubles pair have yet to make it past the second round.
Their debut in Jakarta ended with a defeat to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet, who went on to win the silver medal.
It was a similar story in Hangzhou, where they were stopped by Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran in the second round.
Soon Huat-Shevon are hoping for a different outcome in Aichi-Nagoya, with Shevon also set for her first appearance in the women’s team event when Malaysia face Hong Kong today at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Nagoya.
“I think this could probably be the last edition for both of us,” said Shevon.
“Of course, we hope to win a medal so that we can have something good to remember from the Asian Games and also have an achievement to be proud of.
“In the last two editions, we did not manage to get past the second round,” she said.
Soon Huat-Shevon will also head into the Asian Games with renewed confidence after reaching the semi-finals of the China Masters in Shenzhen two weeks ago.
The result was a timely boost for the pair, especially after a disappointing outing at the World Championships in New Delhi last month.
“For us, the China Masters was more like a trial run. We had already been training for a few weeks before the World Championships, so it was disappointing that we could not perform well there,” she said.
“But we managed to pick ourselves up at the China Masters and that gave us a lot of confidence that we are heading in the right direction.
“So going into the Asian Games, it is a good sign for both of us that the work we have been putting in is starting to show,” she added.
The individual events will be held from Sept 25-29, and a place in the semi-finals would guarantee Soon Huat-Shevon at least a bronze medal.
Malaysia’s last mixed doubles medal at the Asian Games came through Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Wong Pei Tty, who won bronze at Doha 2006.
