INJURE ED LIU YING DOUBT TFUL FOR AS SIAN GAMES
AN untimely Achilles heel injury picked up by mixed doubles shuttler Goh Liu Ying at the World Championships has cast doubt on her participation at the Indonesian Asian Games in two weeks time.
The 29-year-old, who partnered Chan Peng Soon, battled through the pain before losing in the quarter-finals to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet on Friday.
Liu Ying has played down the seriousness of her injury, but the extent of the damage remains a big question until she is examined by the doctors at the National Sports Institute (NSI) next week.
Head coach Pang Cheh Chang believes Liu Ying will be able to recover in time as her injury was not as serious as initially thought.
“It’s not so bad that she can’t even walk. The NSI physio who’s with us here in Nanjing also said it wasn’t too serious,” said Cheh Chang.
“So based on that, I think there’s still enough time for her to recover.
“The Asian Games badminton will only start on Sept 19 but individual events will not take place until four days later. Liu Ying is not involved in the team event.”
But Cheh Chang said he’s still going to wait for the full report on Liu Ying’s condition.
Should Liu Ying be deemed unfit for the Asiad, Cheh Chang said he would have to find a replacement to partner Chan Peng Soon.
“As for now we think she’s fine. But if the result suggests otherwise, then we must get someone to replace her and this particular player must be someone who’s registered in the list submitted to the Olympic Council of Malaysia,” said Cheh Chang.
Cheh Chang refused to point out the potential replacement for Liu Ying, but it’s obvious it could be between Cheah Yee See or Lai Pei Jing after confirming Peck Yen Wei was not included in the list.
All the three players have had a temporary stint with Peng Soon while Liu Ying was sidelined by her earlier injuries.
Pei Jing was paired with Peng Soon in 2014 and the duo reached the semi-finals of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
But it’s Yee See who seems a better bet. In just six months, Peng Soon and Yee See formed a dynamic partnership in the second half of 2017 that saw them win the Russian Open and reach three semi-finals in the Macau, Vietnam and Korean Opens.