Forget top seedings and focus on target, says Nik Razeen
ANYTHING less than the targeted seven golds will be considered a massive disappointment for the national squash team at the KL SEA Games.
In the draw conducted yesterday, Malaysia topped the seedings in all seven events – singles ( men and women), doubles (men, women and mixed) and team ( men and women).
In the men’s section, Ng Eain Yow and Mohd Syafiq Kamal lead the challenge with three events each.
They will compete in the singles and team and are partners in the doubles.
The others are Mohd Addeen Idrakie, Sanjay Singh Chal, Ong Sai Hung, Mohd Farez Izwan, Darren Rahul Ragasam and Ryan Pasqual.
For the women’s category, the trio of Rachel Arnold, S. Sivasangari and Andrea Lee have two events each.
Rachel is down for the singles and doubles (with Aifa Azman) while Sivasangari is the top seed in the singles and mixed doubles (with Sanjay). Andrea is slated for the mixed doubles with Ryan and the team event.
The others are Chan Yiwen, Ooi Kah Yan, Lai Wen Li and Nazihah Hanis.
“Our players shouldn’t read too much into the draws.
“It’s better for them to focus and get ready because we have a seven-gold target,” said team manager Nik Razeen Daud.
“There will be a lot of questions asked if we fail to do so.
“Although we’re quietly confident, we are also monitoring the progress of the other countries too,” added Nik Razeen.
Squash will be played at two venues – the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil and the Raintree Club in KL – from Aug 21-29.