Hard at work: Ong Yew Sin (left) and Teo Ee Yi going through their drills during centralised training for the Asian Games at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara. — ART CHEN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Old hats Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi know they need new tricks to make a difference in their second Asian Games outing.
The independent doubles shuttlers are one of the few members of the Hangzhou Asiad badminton squad to have played in the last edition in Jakarta in 2018. They will not only be out to draw inspiration from their past experience but also show improved moves in their game.
The 28-year-old Yew Sin and Ee Yi, 30 were selected in the men’s doubles for the Asian stint along with Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
They are not at their best at the moment after a difficult past few months but are determined to turn their form around in the Asiad.
“Our experience playing in the Jakarta Games will help a bit,” said Yew Sin.
“We have shared some tips with our teammates and hopefully it can benefit everyone.”
Yew Sin knows they will have to have something new in their bid to re-capture their form in the first half of the year that had seen them reach the semi-finals of the Swiss Open in March and finish runners-up in the Asian Championships in April.
The duo though have lost in the early rounds in five of their last six tournaments including in the World Championships in Copenhagen last month.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi’s loss of form have resulted in them dropping one rung from No. 8 to No. 9 in the latest world rankings.
The pair need to get their act right fast starting with the Asiad as they need to get back into the top eight to stand a chawnce of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Two pairs from a country can make the cut for the Olympics provided both are ranked in the top eight by the end of the qualifying period at the end of April next year.
Currently, Aaron-Wooi Yik are ranked above Yew Sin-Ee Yi at No. 5.
“We have had some injuries in the past few months but this is part of an athlete’s life and we don’t want to make excuses,” said Yew Sin.
“We are now working on improving a few weaknesses in our game and hope for better showing in the Asiad.”
On his maiden outing in Jakarta, Yew Sin recalled: “For me, we did quite well that time. We managed to beat a seeded Japanese pair in the second round.
“In the quarter-finals, we were leading a bit but lost out to an Indonesian pair, who played very well.
“I think this is where we need to improve on - we need to be able to hold on to a lead.”
Yew Sin-Ee Yi are currently undergoing centralised training with the national players at the Academy Badminton Malaysia.
“We just had our first day of training yesterday and everything is going smoothly so far,” said Yew Sin.
“It feels like we are back home and it’s good to train with Aaron and Wooi Yik.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi will compete in the men’s team event first from Sept 28-Oct 1 along with Aaron-Wooi Yik before turning their attentions to the individual event from Oct 2-7.
