MALAYSIA DEALT A HUGE BLOW
Wei Chong’s injury smashes hopes of a gold medal in men’s doubles
MALAYSIA were dealt a big blow in their bid to retain the Sea Games men’s doubles gold after world No 34 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun withdrew from the event, which got underway yesterday.
Wei Chong had suffered a serious left knee injury during the men’s team final against Thailand on Wednesday.
Despite playing through the pain barrier, Wei Chong-Kai Wun fought gallantly before losing 22-20, 22-20 to Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn-Nanthakarn Yordphaisong.
Wei Chong was rushed to a nearby hospital in Hanoi after the match, and Malaysia eventually went down 3-0 to Thailand, who clinched their first men’s team title since 1975.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun, the third seeds, were touted as one of the gold medal prospects alongside Chen Tang Jie-Peck Yen Wei and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheah Yee See in the mixed doubles.
The remaining hopes in the men’s doubles are now pinned on youngsters Wan Arif Junaidi and Haikal Nazri.
Team manager Joanne Quay said the extent of Wei Chong’s injury is still unknown at this juncture. “According to the National Sports Institute doctor, Wei Chong injured his knee cap. They are helping him with pain management and recovery,” said Joanne yesterday.
“It’s hard for us to say, at the moment, but best is he does an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan first; only then we will know better.”
Joanne also explained that the team could not replace Wei
Chong-Kai Wun with Tang Jie -Pang Ron as the draw was finalised earlier.
In yesterday’s action, Jacky Kok gave reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew a scare before losing 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 in the men’s singles first round.
It was certainly a better display from Jacky than his first battle with Kean Yew in the team event where he lost tamely 21-12, 21-12.
Jacky’s elimination meant Lee Shun Yang is the last man standing in the event.
Shun Yang took just 24 minutes to beat Phonesack Sokthavy of Laos 21-5, 21-4. However, the Malaysian will have to up his game when he plays Thai ace Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the second seed, in the quarter-finals.
The national women’s shuttlers, who were stunned by Vietnam in the team competition, were a let down once again as Loh Zhi Wei and Go Pei Kee-Yap Ling failed to get past their winnable women’s singles and women’s doubles first hurdles.
The 19-year-old Zhi Wei was beaten 21-14, 21-17 by Mikaela Joy De Guzman of the Philippines, while Pei Kee-Yap Ling went down 10-21 21-14 21-18 to Singapore’s Insyirah Khan-Bernice Lim.
Cheah Yee See-Cheng Su Hui managed to go through but not after surviving a scare from Vietnam’s Pham Thi Khanh-Than Van Anh.
The Malaysian women’s doubles pair took 71 minutes to win 21-17, 13-21, 21-14.