Soon Kit backs Sze Fei-Izzuddin to end Asian Games gold drought

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Olympic silver medallist Datuk Cheah Soon Kit backed his former men's doubles protégés Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani as Malaysia's saviours to end a 20-year wait for gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday.

Malaysia last won badminton gold through men's doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong at the 2006 Doha Games.

World No. 6 Sze Fei-Izzuddin have boldly declared their intention to go for gold when the competition is held at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Sept 20-29.

Soon Kit, who secured silver with Soo Beng Kiang at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and with Yap Kim Hock at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, stated on the recent Timesport: On the Beat podcast that setting a high target is the first step to success for the independent pair.

"I see that currently, Sze Fei and Izzuddin are playing quite well now. I think the Asian Games is a very important event as it's four years once that it is played. I hope they can focus and bring back a medal - hopefully the gold medal," said Soon Kit, a key figure in the 1992 Thomas Cup winning team.

"It's good for them to have a high target. Because that's what I always told them: 'You have to set your target high, then you will go in with the intention of winning the tournament.' So, I'm glad that they have this target (gold) for the Asian Games."

Soon Kit also recalled that Izzuddin was not part of the national team when he coached the back-up squad (2016-2018) but identified the player during a tournament in Johor.

"In fact, Izzuddin was not in the national squad. I think I roped him in from Johor when I went to one of the local tournaments, so I saw some potential in him. That's why I brought him to the national team," said Soon Kit.

Soon Kit was also surprised that his main protégés Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who won bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, are not being fielded as a pair.

Instead, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has opted for the Aaron Chia-Tee Kai Wun scratch pairing and has dropped Wooi Yik.

"I was quite surprised when they announced the team without Wooi Yik, after their achievement of winning the world championships (in 2022) and the recent one, they managed to get a silver.

"It's every player's dream to win things like the Olympics, world championships or maybe Asian Games. The Asian Games can be considered as the second biggest after the Olympics.

"They (Aaron-Kai Wun) have not been tested in other tournaments as a pair. I feel that whoever they (coaches) decide to pair up, there should be a target and just to go there and try it out. Because this is the Asian Games," said Soon Kit.

Meanwhile, Soon Kit also believes women's doubles world No. 5 Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah have a chance of winning a medal if Pearly has fully recovered from her back injury and the duo can regain their confidence.

"Even though they (Pearly-Thinaah) have not been playing well recently, maybe they lost some of their confidence or maybe the opponents have studied their game. If Pearly has recovered from her injury, they have a very good chance to win a medal," said Soon Kit.

"They need to regain their confidence. They have to believe that they are among the top pairs in the world.

"They just have to believe they can win a medal because, except for the China pairs, others are not that consistent."

* Timesport: On the Beat is available on YouTube, Spotify, Audioplus and Apple Podcasts