Soon Huat-Shevon aim to end mixed doubles drought

IT may be a long shot but Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are hoping to end Malaysia's 19-year wait for a mixed doubles gold medal at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games (KL2017) next month.

Chew Choon Eng-Chor Hooi Yee, were the last Malaysian duo to come out tops at the 1999 edition in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.

Since then, Indonesia have ruled supreme with Thailand winning it once in between in 2003.

"I would very much want to end the long wait but we must first get our nerves under control. Being the nation's hope isn't something easy to handle," said Shevon.

"Having said that, we sure love the challenge. After all it is sport and challenges makes it more interesting.

"Our target is the gold medal but we have got many strong competitors. For now, we are training really hard to solidify our game."

Since coming together as a pair last year, Soon Huat-Shevon have won two titles - Malaysia International Challenge and Scottish Open.

They also did well to reach two finals - Malaysia Masters and Thailand Open - this year and are currently ranked No 20 in the world.

Soon Huat-Shevon's next assignment is the US Open in Anaheim next week.

"We are not placing any high hopes given our current form, but what I can say is that we are confident to get back on court stronger."

The other Malaysian pair bound for KL2017 are Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See. Fabian Peter