Different strokes
Games silver medallists goh and tan break up partnership
“We have agreed to reunite and play in the world meet if we qualify.” tan Wee Kiong
PETALING JAYA: Independent doubles shuttlers Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong have parted ways, putting an end to their seven-year partnership.
The two 32-year-olds decided to seek a fresh challenge with new partners after their contract with Yonex ended last month.
V Shem will now team up with former international Low Juan Shen while Wee Kiong is combining with Tan Kian Meng.
They started as a scratch pair at the 2014 Thomas Cup in New Delhi, India but were instrumental in leading Malaysia to the final before finishing runners-up to Japan.
They did not lose a single match as the second doubles and that convinced the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to make their partnership permanent.
They went on to win the Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow and bronze at the Incheon Asian Games the same year.
V Shem-wee Kiong played their best badminton in 2016 when they won silver at the Rio Olympics
They also won the Denmark Open and World Superseries Finals in Dubai that year and became the world No. 1 in the process.
V Shem-wee Kiong’s split did come as a surprise as they stand a good chance of qualifying for the World Championships in Huelva, Spain from Dec 12-29.
They are currently ranked 12th in the Road to Huelva ranking, the third highest ranked Malaysians behind Aaron Chia-soh Wooi Yik (seventh) and Ong Yew Sin-teo Ee Yi (ninth) respectively.
A country can send a maximum of three pairs if all are ranked in the top 24.
“Our sponsorship deal with Yonex ended recently and Wee Kiong has made his own plans,” said V Shem, who won the 2013 Malaysian Open with Lim Khim Wah.
“Obviously it would be great if we can play on until the year end, but
since he has made up his mind, I’ll just have to respect his decision.
“My new partner Juan Shen and I will take part in our first tournament at the Taiwan Open (Sept 7-12).
Wee Kiong however said that he would still play with V Shem at the world meet if they still make the cut.
“We have agreed to reunite and play in the world meet if we qualify,” explained Wee Kiong, who was also best known for his partnership with Hoon Thien How.
“Kian Meng and I have verbally agreed to team up but we’re still in the midst of securing sponsorship.
“Hopefully we will be able to strike one soon and get back into action.”
Wee Kiong took to his Instagram to announce the split and paid tribute to V Shem.
“Thank you for the seven years partnership.without you, it wouldn’t be possible for me to scale the highest achievements of my career such as winning silver at the Olympics and becoming the world No. 1,” he wrote.
“I would also like to thank you for the support shown both on and off the badminton court. I wish you all the best in the future.”
V Shem-wee Kiong last played at the All-england but were shown the exit in the last 16.
They made a good start in January by finishing runners-up to recently crowned Olympics champions Lee Yang-wang Chi-lin of Taiwan at the Thailand Open I.