Peng Soon-Liu Ying go for gold this time

FOLLOWING their silver achievement at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shuttlers Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying want a bigger prize in Tokyo.

WHILE all the focus is on cyclist Azizulhasni Awang to win Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying could well steal the show and return with the top prize from Tokyo.

The mixed doubles pair certainly have the pedigree to go far in Tokyo following their silver-medal showing at the 2016 Rio edition.

Liu Ying, who together with men’s singles Lee Zii Jia are Malaysia’s flag-bearers for the opening ceremony on Friday, is determined to make the country proud with Peng Soon. The pair are now independent shuttlers.

“To be able to win gold in the Olympics would give me the greatest joy of my career.

“I would never have persevered all these years without the continuous support from the entire nation,” she said in a statement issued by Yobick, a Japanese yoghurt drink brand, yesterday.

Yobick has been sponsoring Peng Soon-Liu Ying since 2019.

In 2016, the World No 7 were silver medallists at the Rio Games after a 21-14, 21-12 defeat to Indonesia’s Tontowi AhmadLiliyana Natsir in the final.

The pair have recorded decent results this year, although the Covid-19 pandemic affected their preparations due to restrictions and lockdowns.

Peng Soon-Liu Ying recorded three quarter-final results at the Yonex and Toyota Thailand Opens and the Swiss Open in their opening three events of the season.

In March, they reached the semi-finals of the All England in Birmingham, which marked their final international outing following the cancellation of tournaments due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Peng Soon hopes they can produce their ‘A’ game when they start their mixed doubles campaign at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo.

“If we win a gold, we will dedicate our medals to all Malaysians, who have been supporting us all these years,” he said.

Peng Soon-Liu Ying are drawn against China’s second seeds Wang Yi Lyu-Huang Dong Ping, Germany’s Mark Lamfuss-Isabel Hettrich and Hong Kong’s Tan Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet in Group D.

The Malaysians will open their campaign on Saturday against Chun Man-Ying Suet. Only the top two pairs from the group will qualify for the quarterfinals.