THAI TEEN ATTHAYA BLOWS FIELD AWAY
Do something about duo, says Norza
KUALA LUMPUR: Immediate action will be taken to stop the slide of national No. 1 men’s doubles top pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong including splitting up the 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medallists.
The duo put up a limp performance in going down 18-21, 16-21 to South Korea’s back-up shuttlers Chung Eui-seok-Kum Dukyoung at the World Championships in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria has had enough.
“I’m disappointed with their performances. Time and time again, we’ve told them to buck up but it’s not working. The result at the world meet has proven that,” said Norza.
“I’ve asked Morten Frost (BAM technical director) and Cheah Soon Kit (doubles head coach) to take immediate action.
“They have an important decision to make in moving forward with V Shem-Wee Kiong.
“One of the options could be splitting them up. But there could be other ways too. I’ll wait for their feedback.
“Woon Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo and Goh Jin Wei had challenging moments in their careers too but they came good. I’m pleased with their performances at the SEA Games.”
Norza revealed that there had been communication problems between the pair this year.
“They lack communication and there is a problem with their chemistry,” said Norza.
“They could be busy with other things too but we can’t just stand still and not do anything about it.
“There is a serious issue here. The ball is in their court. They have to snap out of this slump if they want to stick together.”
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s challenge is all over following the exits of the last pair – mixed doubles shuttlers Tan Kian Ming-Lai Pei Jing.
Eighth seeds Kian Meng-Pei Jing went down 15-21, 16-21 to 13th seeds Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping of China in the third round at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, yesterday.
They were Malaysia’s best performers at the world meet, which saw Lee Chong Wei losing in the men’s singles first round on Tuesday and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong in the men’s doubles second round on Wednesday.
This is Malaysia’s worst-ever outing in the world series since the 1999 edition in Copenhagen. Then, none of the Malaysians made it past the third round.