Badminton News: Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) Coaching Directors Rexy Mainaky and Wong Choong Hann believe the Malaysian team did their best even though they didn’t reach the Surdiman Cup final .
On Saturday, Malaysia’s fine run at the World Mixed Team Event ended in heartbreak as they lost 3-1 to South Korea in the semi-finals.
Since the start of the tournament in 1989, Malaysia have never gone beyond the last four.
“The team is not perfect, but we are strong,” said Rexy Mainaky.
“Throughout the week we saw a lot of positive things from all the players. Our preparation with them helped a lot,” he added.
Many questioned the performance of World Men’s Doubles Champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who lost 21-12, 21-11 to beat Kim Won Ho/Na Sung Seung in the semi-finals.
On whether the world number 3 pair caused Malaysia to lose, Rexy Mainaky said: “Of course we are disappointed but sometimes it’s like that. Let’s not forget Aaron-Wooi Yik did very well in matches against India and Denmark.”
“It’s hard to say because the night before we played a long game against Denmark in the quarter-finals. There is barely time to recover.
“It’s no excuse but we have to get up and focus on the positives.”
Likewise, Choong Hann, who also faced pressure due to a lack of singles results, acknowledged the contributions of Lee Zii Jia, Goh Jin Wei and K. Letshanaa.
“All three played a great game and did very well. Zii Jia was exceptional all week, which motivated the rest of the team,” he said.
“His wins against K. Srikanth of India, Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan and Jeon Hyeok Jin of South Korea were all huge.
“Jin Wei, despite all the challenges, is also a huge asset to the team. His win against (PV) Sindhu really helped improve the whole team.
“Then there is Letshanaa who gained so much from this event. We have identified areas that need improvement and we will look into them,” Choong Hann said.
For most players, the next big thing will be this week’s Super 500 Malaysia Masters.
With the year-long Olympic qualifiers in full swing, the tournament at Axiata Arena should be interesting.
Tags: rexy mainaky, Sudirman Cup 2023
