Thais ratchet things up with Ratchanok

PETALING JAYA: The Thai badminton team are bringing in the big guns in their bid to win the women’s team gold at the SEA Games for a fourth consecutive time.

They have included world No. 5 Ratchanok Intanon (pic) in the squad to the Philippines Games from Nov 30-Dec 11.

However, the 24-year-old Ratchanok, who skipped the Kuala Lumpur Games two years ago, will only be fielded in the team event.

The 2013 world champion’s presence as the first women’s singles is set to boost the team’s strength greatly as they look to extend their domination dating back to the 2011 Palembang Games.

Malaysia will now find Thailand an even tougher nut to crack with the two teams expected to cross paths in the semi-finals.

Malaysia, the silver medallists in the last two editions, should beat Cambodia with ease in the last eight.

Ratchanok was part of the Thai team who won in 2011 and 2015, but played no part when Thailand defeated Malaysia 3-1 in 2017 as she was in Glasgow for the World Championships.

Ratchanok marked her debut in Vientiane 2009 by winning the women’s singles silver when she was just 14, finishing runner-up to compatriot Salakjit Ponsana. She won the bronze in the individual event again two years later in Palembang.

Ratchanok will not be going for her first women’s singles gold at the SEA Games as her focus is on the bigger World Tour Finals in Guangzhou from Dec 11-15.

In her absence, world No. 16 Pornpawee Chochuwong and world No. 18 Busanan Ongbamrungphan will still be a force to be reckoned with.

They will contend for the individual title with Malaysia’s Soniia Cheah, the last edition’s silver medallist, and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and Fitriani and Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min.