Eyes on the youngsters: (from left) Chan Chong Ming, F&N chief marketing officer Leong Wai Yin, Lee Wan Wah and Wong Choong Hann at the 100 Plus Junior Badminton Championships yesterday.
SUNGAI BULOH: Former men’s doubles shuttler Lee Wan Wah is positive about Malaysia’s chances of ending the wait for an Olympic gold in the 2028 edition in Los Angeles.
Malaysia missed out on gold in badminton in the Paris Games in August with Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles) and Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles) settling for bronze.
Wan Wah, who reached No. 1 in the world rankings with Choong Tan Fook during their playing days, believes badminton stands a chance to finally deliver the elusive gold for the country in 2028 due to the open nature of the competition and Malaysia’s strength in depth in the men’s doubles.
“If you ask me, definitely we have a chance to win gold in the Olympics,” said Wan Wah.
“Now, the badminton competition has become very open, not just in the men’s doubles but in all the other events as well.
“It’s different from my playing days when you have eight strong pairs and the rest are far behind. Those times, only the big five - China, Malaysia, Denmark, Indonesia and South Korea - used to dominate.
“Now, countries like Thailand, Singapore and France have good players and if you look at the world rankings, even players in the top 24 are not always guaranteed to win. It’s very competitive now and this is good for badminton.
“It makes the sport more interesting. For us, we have good players and coaches. Our players need to be prepared well for the Olympics,” added Wan Wah.
The men’s doubles is without doubt Malaysia’s strongest event with six pairs currently ranked in the world’s top 25.
They are Aaron-Wooi Yik (No. 5), Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (No. 7), Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 14), Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri (No. 19), Yap Roy King-Wan Arif-Wan Junaidi (No. 22) and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 24).
World junior champions Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing, who are still both 18 years old, have also been fast tracked into the senior set-up and are now ranked No. 65.
“It’s good that we have two pairs in the top 10. Three or four will be even better,” said Wan Wah.
“It’s not easy but there are several young pairs with good potential like Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Aaron-Kang Khai Xing. Malaysia are quite set in men’s doubles and the chances are higher for us to win gold in the Olympics through this event.”
Meanwhile, Wan Wah, joined hands with fellow former shuttlers Chan Chong Ming and Wong Choong Hann to organise the 100 PLUS Junior Badminton Championships with Pioneer Sports Management at the Tropicana Badminton Academy in Sungai Buloh yesterday.
600 participants from the age of seven to 15 were given the opportunity to showcase their talents.
“We are thrilled to host such an incredible event, bringing together the future stars of Malaysian badminton,” said Chong Ming.
“We aim to nurture talent and instil values that extend beyond the court through this competition.”
