The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Chong Wei tips five singles shuttlers to be top stars
- Lee expected to end his bachelor days next year
- Ee Yi sees early exit in Vietnam as a good learning curve
| Chong Wei tips five singles shuttlers to be top stars Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:38 PM PDT GEORGE TOWN: Lee Chong Wei has named five singles shuttlers who have the potential to be top players. They are Chan Kwong Beng, Liew Daren, Chong Wei Feng, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Misbun Ramdan. The world No. 2 singles star, however, conceded that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) face a tough task in finding his successor. "Even China have difficulty trying to find a 'second' Lin Dan despite having a population of more than one billion while Malaysia only have a population of 28 million," Chong Wei told a press conference before a meet-the-fans session at KDU College in Penang yesterday. "Indonesia and Denmark also find it hard to replace Taufik Hidayat and Peter-Gade Christensen." Chong Wei was asked to comment on a report in a Malay daily on Sunday which stated that a replacement for him has yet to be found. He said more junior players would be sent to overseas tournaments to acquire experience. Chong Wei also said he hoped to attend Lin Dan's wedding in China next month but was not sure if he would be able to make it as he will be competing in the Japan Open in Tokyo from Sept 18-23. "I'm hoping for an early final so I can fly from Tokyo to Beijing," he said. |
| Lee expected to end his bachelor days next year Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:40 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei is expected to end his bachelor days next year. The world No. 2 shuttler is expected to wed former national top women's singles player Wong Mew Choo after dating for more than a decade. Chong Wei, 30, who claimed he was ready to take the plunge, did not give any tentative date or place for the wedding. "Maybe I'll retire next year because there are no big competitions and start planning for the wedding. I'm not young anymore," he said. Mew Choo, 29, is now a coach at the Bukit Jalil Sports School after she quit as a player last year. "We have known each other for a long time," he said. "Sometimes I hardly have time to dwell on the relationship as I want to focus on my career and during such times, it's normal to have misunderstandings." Chong Wei said he broke up with Mew Choo in 2009 when he was training in South Korea but they made up a year later and their bond has since grown stronger. "It's normal for a relationship to go through difficult times but I don't want such issues to affect my career or our relationship," he said. — Bernama |
| Ee Yi sees early exit in Vietnam as a good learning curve Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:38 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Reigning world junior doubles champion Teo Ee Yi believes he and Nelson Heg Wei Keat are on the right track in their transition year to the senior ranks despite crashing out in the opening round of the Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City last week. Ee Yi-Wei Keat went down fighting 21-18, 15-21, 18-21 to Taiwan's Ching Yao-lu and Min Hao-tseng. Although disappointed, the 19-year-old Ee Yi said it was a good learning curve. "We face higher ranked pairs in every tournament and it's a challenge just to give them a good fight. They are more experienced and adjust quickly to the court conditions. We need more time but we have shown improvement over the last eight months," said Ee Yi. In April, the duo showed their potential when they put higher ranked pairs in the shade by winning the Dutch International in only their second senior tournament. They also won the Thailand International Series in May last year. Ee Yi said they were grateful to their coaches for giving them the opportunity to compete abroad. "We know where we stand and what needs to be done to match the big boys. Nelson and I currently lack power in our smashing. This is one area we will have to focus on to improve further," he said. "For now, we want to build our confidence and our standing in the national team. We are still the rookies and there are so many good pairs ahead of us. In time, we will surely climb up the ladder," he said. Ee Yi-Wei Keat are determined to become the country's first world junior champions to metamorphose into the national number one pair. There have been six other world junior doubles champions but none survived the test of time beyond their junior years although they have done well with other partners in the national team. They are Gan Wye Teck-Chan Chong Ming (winners in 1996), Chan Chong Ming-Teo Kok Seng (1998), Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong (2004), Mak Hee Chun-Teo Kok Siang (2008), Chooi Kah Ming-Ow Yao Han (2009) and Ow Yao Han-Yew Hong Kheng (2010). Based on the determination shown by Ee Yi-Wei Keat, they may just be the ones to buck the trend. |
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