KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will be counting on the men’s team to strike gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, in announcing the names of the shuttlers bound for Hangzhou after the BAM Council meeting today, however, said the national women shuttlers will only compete in the individual events at the Sept 23-Oct 8 Asiad.
Since badminton was introduced in the 1962 edition of the Asiad in Jakarta, Indonesia, Malaysia has never won either the men’s or women’s team gold while Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were the last Malaysians to win a gold medal in men’s doubles in the 2006 edition in Doha, Qatar.
Mohamad Norza said BAM will bank on their strongest men’s squad, comprising Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei (singles) as well as reigning world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Goh Soon Huat-Chen Tang Jie (doubles).
Meanwhile, Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky hoped that the men’s team could make history by bagging the gold medal for the first time.
“There is a chance (to strike gold), all the teams have an equal chance,” he told a media conference after Norza announced the Asiad team here today.
Norza said that for the women’s singles event, BAM will pin their hopes on former two-time world junior champion Goh Jin Wei and K. Letshanaa (singles); and Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Go Pei Kee-Valeree Siow (doubles).
Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will lead the charge in the mixed doubles event.
Rexy also hopes that Aaron-Wooi Yik can maintain their performance ahead of the Hangzhou Asiad, especially after losing 17-21, 18-21 to India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the final of the 2023 Indonesian Open recently.
The Indonesian doubles specialist is also confident that Zii Jia will give his full commitment to the Asian Games after sparking controversy by pulling out from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, citing the need to focus on the 2021 World Championships in Japan last August.
“I believe his coaching director, Wong Tat Meng will advise him (to play in the Asiad) because the Games also offer qualification points for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he said.
Qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics has been underway since May 1 and will end on April 28, 2024. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to Aug 11, 2024.
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games was supposed to be held last year but was postponed to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Men’s team event
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Singles: Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao and Cheam June Wei
Doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, Goh Soon Huat dan Chen Tang Jie
Individual events
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Men’s singles: Lee Zii Jia & Ng Tze Yong
Women’s singles: Goh Jin Wei & K. Letshanaa
Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik & Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi
Women’s doubles: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah & Go Pei Kee-Valeree Siow
Mixed doubles: Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie & Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei
– Bernama
