Thomas Cup shuttlers set semi-final target in Wuhan

The national men shuttlers have accomplished their mission in Macau. Now, they must defy the odds again to reach at least the semi-finals of the Thomas Cup Finals in Wuhan from May 20-27.
In Macau, the team, rated one of the weakest assembled in recent times, outdid themselves when they defeated the fancied South Koreans 3-2 in the Group D tie and then outclassed India in the quarter-finals to seal a berth in the Finals.
South Korea, despite the setback against the Malaysians, survived the playoffs for the final ticket by beating India, Taiwan and Thailand to confirm their place in the elite group.
Other top teams set to make their presence felt in Wuhan are of course defending champions and hosts China, Japan, Indonesia and European giants Denmark, who emerged as the European Zone champions yesterday.

Looking secure: Malaysia’s Lim Khim Wah (right) and Goh V Shem are expected to be in the Thomas Cup squad for Wuhan.

For Malaysia, the bulk of the successful team, comprising Lee Chong Wei, Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Liew Daren, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem, Hoon Thien How and Teo Kok Siang, are expected to be retained for the Wuhan challenge.
It is good to note that most of the back-up shuttlers have come through the rite of passage all the wiser for the experience.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)’s High Performance Team member Wong Ah Jit was proud of the team’s achievement and believes that the goal of reaching the semi-finals in Wuhan was within reach, depending on a favourable draw and fitness of the players.
“They were not expected to go far but the team did well to qualify. They showed hunger and determination to win and that is what we wanted to see. Now, we have to get the second part of the job done,” said Ah Jit.
“We have about two and half months to go before the Finals. For Chong Wei and Kien Keat-Boon Heong, we will increase the intensity of training so that they can peak at both the Finals and London Olympics. The others in the team will devote their time to sparring with the Olympic-bound shuttlers. At the same time, we will also push them through strength and conditioning programmes so that they will be able to rise to the challenge in Wuhan.
“The key is in the physical condition of the players. Hafiz will be a fearsome player again if we increase his fitness level another notch. If the players push themselves wholeheartedly and give full commitment to training in the next six to eight weeks, I bet they will go far in the Finals.
“Except for China, the other teams are beatable. Look at Indonesia, they are about the same standard as Malaysia. It all depends on whether our players can push themselves to the limit. Of course, it will help if we get a favourable draw too,” added Ah Jit.
The 12 teams will be divided into four groups with the top two advancing to the quarter-finals, where, except for the top two seeded teams, the others will be subjected to a draw.
The Malaysian shuttlers have three back-to-back tournaments coming up next — the German Open from Feb 28-March 4, the All England (March 6-11) and Swiss Open (March 13-18).
Courtesy of The Star