COUNTDOWN TO GOLD COAST COMMONWEALTH GAMES – 14 DAYS TO GO

Soon Huat-Shevon aim to get it right Down Under

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie will look to switch gears for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next month following a mixed bag of results in Europe.

The world No. 8 were on a high when they claimed their biggest career win at the German Open.

But that joy was short-lived as they were given a harsh reality check just days later after losing tamely in the first round of the All-England to England’s Chris Adcock-Gabrielle Adcock.

The defeat to the Adcocks is certainly concerning as the world No. 10 are the defending champions at the Commonwealth Games and will be Soon Huat-Shevon’s main challengers.

And Shevon readily admits that they have to buck up especially as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are counting on them to deliver one of the three-gold medal target.

“I think we have to prepare ourselves better. Consistency is our biggest issue right now,” said Shevon.

“We did well at the German meet to win but our performance dropped quite a bit at the All-England.

“We were also caught off guard by our opponents who were fresher.

“There’s really not much time left to prepare and the pressure is also mounting as everyone is expecting us to do well.

“I believe me and Soon Huat are also the top seeds ... that adds to the pressure because the competition is actually quite tough.

“Chris-Gabrielle will definitely be the top contenders while India also have good pairs.

“Even though we are ranked in the top 10, it won’t make much difference.

“But of course I would want to finish with a medal.

“We just need to keep ourselves grounded and take it one game at a time.”

Besides Soon Huat-Shevon, the other mixed pair in the fray is Rio Olympics silver medallists Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying.

Meanwhile, both Shevon and Soon Huat are also bracing themselves for double duty at the Games.

With each country allowed two entries per event, Shevon will likely be paired up with women’s singles shuttler Soniia Cheah for women’s doubles.

Soon Huat on the other hand is set to partner Peng Soon for men’s doubles.

“We only have one women’s pair – Vivian Hoo-Chow Mei Kuan – so there is an empty slot and I’m prepared for the double duty although the coaches haven’t confirmed it,” added Shevon.