Skip to main content

No Chong Wei, No Malaysian in Superseries Finals



For the first time ever, Malaysia will not have any representatives at the BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals in Dubai from Dec 17-21.

So, the immediate task for Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) technical director Morten Frost Hansen will be to make sure that Malaysia are not put in such a situation next year.

Former great Frost, who will only start work as BAMā€™s technical director in March, is scheduled to arrive earlier to discuss and plan his programmes with all the coaches in the set-up.

BAM deputy president Datuk Norza Zakaria said that the absence of a local shuttler in the finale of the Superseries tour showed up three weaknesses of Malaysian badminton: over-reliance on world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei; poor planning; and the lack of successors coming through.

Chong Wei has qualified as the top-ranked shuttler for the Finals but had to forgo the tournament ā€“ for the first time since its inception in 2007 ā€“ because he is serving a temporary suspension following a doping violation at the World Championships in Copenhagen in August.

The Malaysian superstar, who won the Malaysian Open, All-England, India Open and Japan Open this year, has been tested positive for the banned substance dexamethasone and is waiting for a hearing to clear his name ā€“ and escape a two-year ban.

Norza is clearly disappointed.

ā€œWe have relied too much on Chong Wei. Iā€™m disappointed that his two successors ā€“ Chong Wei Feng and Liew Daren ā€“ have failed to narrow the gap this year,ā€ said Norza.

ā€œIn the recent Axiata Cup (semi-finals), Wei Feng was the team captain in the absence of Chong Wei but he faltered when it mattered most.

ā€œIf these two seniors do not buck up, we may have to forget about them and focus on the youngsters.

ā€œWe are one of the badminton powerhouses but it is sad that we will not have any Malaysian in this major BWF tournament for the first time.

ā€œThis should not happen again.ā€

And Norza is banking on Frost to restore the countryā€™s battered image.

ā€œWe hope Morten will look into these glaring problems in the menā€™s singles department and come out with solutions,ā€ he said.

ā€œHe officially starts work in March but he will be here in January ... to sit down with everyone in the training and coaching set-up to review and re-strategise.ā€

Since 2007, Malaysia have produced several champions in the World Superseries Finals, like Chong Wei (menā€™s singles four times in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013), Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (menā€™s doubles in 2008), Wong Mew Choo (womenā€™s singles in 2009) and Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui (womenā€™s doubles in 2008 and 2009).


THE WORLD SUPERSERIES FINALS QUALIFIERS
(Only the top eight after 12 legs qualify)

Menā€™s singles: 1. Chen Long (Chn), 2. Jan O Jorgensen (Den), 3. Son Wan-ho (Kor), 4. K. Srikanth (Ind), 5. Kento Momota (Jpn), 6. Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Den), 7. Tommy Sugiarto (Ina), 8. Kenichi Tago (Jpn).

Menā€™s doubles: 1. Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor), 2. Lee Sheng-mu-Tsai Chia-hsin (Tpe), 3. Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn), 4. Mohd Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina), 5. Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan (Chn), 6. Chai Biao-Hong Wei (Chn), 7. Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den), 8. Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek-cheol (Kor).

Womenā€™s singles: 1. Wang Shixian (Chn), 2. Wang Yihan (Chn), 3. Saina Nehwal (Ind), 4. Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), 5. Sung Ji-hyun (Kor), 6. Tai Tzu-ying (Tpe), 7. Bae Yeon-ju (Kor), 8. Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn).

Womenā€™s doubles: 1. Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn), 2. Reika Kakiiwa-Miyuki Maeda (Jpn), 3. Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (Chn), 4. Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den), 5. Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn), 6. Chang Ye-na-Kim So-yeong (Kor), 7. Jung Kyung-eun-Kim Ha-na (kor), 8. Greysia Polii-Nitya Krishinda Maheswari (Ina).

Mixed doubles: 1. Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn), 2. Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chn), 3. Tantowi Ahmad-Lilyana Natsir (Ina), 4. Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na (Kor), 5. Sudket Prapakamol-T. Saralee (Tha), 6. Chris Adcock-Gabrielle Adcock (Eng), 7. Joachim Fischer Neilsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den), 8. Michael Fuchs-Birgit Michels (Ger).


by Rajes Paul - The Star

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...

Chance to catch Messi and company

  FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and vice president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin with FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich yesterday. Pic by Osman Adnan LIONEL Messi's presence alone could sell half the tickets despite reigning world club champions FC Barcelona's date with a Malaysian XI at the National Stadium on Aug 10 falling on the third day of Hari Raya. The much anticipated visit of the four-time European champions comes with expectations from fans who want a full star-studded line-up. "The summer will be a busy period with a lot of uncertainty with players moving away and coming in. "But yes, our plans are to bring our full team here," said FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich yesterday. Rossich was speaking at the announcement of the friendly match, which is part of the three-match FC Barcelona Asia Tour 2013, which sees the giants also visiting China and Thailand. Also pre...