PETALING JAYA: They had to settle for silver in Tokyo, but China’s formidable women’s doubles shuttlers Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan will not be satisfied with anything less than the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
And the first victims of their ruthless charge to gold are likely to be national pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
The Malaysians face Qingchen-Yifan in their opening Group A match at the Adidas Arena in Porte de la Chapelle today.
The world No. 13 Malaysians will need something very special to upset the world No. 1 pair who have won everything except the Olympic gold.
The Chinese pair are determined to add that medal to their collection this time after coming in second best to Indonesia’s Greysia Polli-Apriyani Rahayu three years ago.
The Chinese pair created history last year by becoming the first women’s doubles pair to win four golds in the World Championships. Qingchen-Yifan also successfully defended their title in the Hangzhou Asian Games last October.
The duo believe they have become even better than in 2021 where they were making their debut at the Olympics.
“We had no experience in the Olympics at that time and we felt a bit lost,” said Yifan in an interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“But after gaining three years of experience, we feel that we are better prepared this time.
“We will go for the gold and give our best. We are ready for the Olympics to start.”
Qingchen-Yifan hold a huge head-to-head advantage against Pearly-Thinaah, having won six of their past seven meetings.
The Malaysian pair’s sole victory came in the second round of the All-England in March. The pressure though will be higher on Qingchen-Yifan’s shoulders and Pearly-Thinaah can use this to their advantage.
Even taking one game off the Chinese pair could prove useful in a difficult group which also has Japan’s former two-time world champions Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara. Apriyani and new partner Siti Fadia Ramadhanti, who are No. 9 in the world, are also in the group. Only the top two can make it to the quarter-finals.
