Chong Wei Belum Ada Pengganti

CHONG WEI pemain terhebat pernah dilahirkan oleh negara yang telah banyak mengecapi kejayaan pada peringkat kebangsaan mahupun antarabangsa.

TIDAK keterlaluan jika kita dikatakan bahawa Malaysia kini mempunyai satu masalah besar dalam arena sukan badminton.
Ini kerana, sehingga kini masih belum ada calon yang dilihat benar-benar berkemampuan untuk menggantikan tempat jaguh perseorangan negara, Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
Siapa selepas Chong Wei? Persoalan yang sering kali meniti di bibir peminat-peminat sukan badminton tanah air.
Namun, persoalan tersebut sehingga kini masih belum boleh untuk dijawab.
Malah, ketua jurulatih perseorangan negara, Rashid Sidek sendiri tidak mampu untuk memberikan jawapannya.
Rashid berkata, masih belum ada bayangan yang jelas terha- dap pengganti yang boleh mengambil alih tempat Chong Wei yang dijangka akan menggantung raketnya sebaik tamat temasya Sukan Olimpik 2012 di London.
“Kalau kita mahu mencari pengganti kepada Chong Wei sekurang-kurangnya pemain itu perlulah menjuarai sesuatu kejoha- nan terlebih dahulu.
“Cuba kamu lihat sendiri adakah pemain- pemain perseorangan yang lain selain Chong Wei bergelar juara pada mana-mana kejohanan?
“Tidak ada. Sebab itu, susah untuk kita bercakap mengenai perkara ini. Buat masa ini memang belum nampak lagi mana-mana pemain yang benar-benar boleh mengganti- kan tempat Chong Wei,” kata Rashid ketika dihubungi Kosmo! kelmarin.
Berdasarkan kenyataan Rashid itu, sedi- kit sebanyak pasti telah memberikan jawa- pan terhadap persoalan yang ditimbulkan oleh peminat-peminat sukan badminton negara.
Mahu ataupun tidak, peminat sukan badminton tempatan perlu berpijak di bumi yang nyata.
Harus bersedia untuk menerima hakikat bahawa selain Chong Wei, tidak ada mana- mana pemain perseorangan yang mencipta kejayaan di pentas antarabangsa.
Paling bagus pun sekadar mara ke pering- kat separuh akhir, itupun kejohanan bertaraf tiga bintang.
Jika diikutkan, Malaysia sebenarnya memiliki beberapa pemain berbakat yang kini sudah berada dalam skuad elit seperti Liew Darren, Mohd. Arif Abdul Latif, Chan Kwong Beng dan Chong Wei Feng.
Malah, beberapa pemain remaja seperti Misbun Ramdan Misbun, Goh Soon Huat, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainudin, Zulfadli Zulkifli turut berpotensi untuk diketengahkan ke peringkat lebih tinggi.
Namun entah apa silapnya, setiap kali Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) menghantar mereka beraksi di pentas antarabangsa, keputusan yang dilakarkan tidak seperti diharapkan, malah lebih buruk.
Tatkala pemain-pemain seusia mereka dari negara-negara lain sudah mampu untuk bermegah dengan kejayaan yang dilakarkan, pemain negara pula masih ditakuk yang lama.
Masih dilabel sebagai jaguh kampung sahaja.
“Dahulu, mungkin pemain-pemain ini boleh cakap mereka tidak diberi banyak pendedahan tetapi kini BAM sudah menghantar mereka beraksi dalam banyak kejohanan di pentas antarabangsa, malah ada yang menyertai kejohanan Super Siri sekali.
“Namun, tetap gagal mencatatkan kepu- tusan yang baik.
“Seperti Darren, dia pernah tewaskan Si- mon Santoso (perseorangan Indonesia) tetapi selepas itu prestasinya menjadi tidak menentu. Sekejap okey, sekejap tidak okey.
“Begitu juga dengan pemain-pemain yang lain. Apa yang saya lihat, mereka ini gagal mengekalkan konsistensi mereka," jelas Ra- shid.
Tambah Rashid, dari aspek skil dan kualiti, ia tidak menjadi masalah buat pemain- pemain muda negara.
Namun, apa yang menjadi masalah adalah diri mereka sendiri.
“Saya sebagai jurulatih hanya boleh memberikan tunjuk ajar dan kata-kata semangat kepada pemain tetapi apabila berada di atas gelanggang pemain itu yang menentukan corak permainan serta hala tuju mereka.
“Pemain-pemain ini tidak memiliki kesungguhan untuk berjaya. Jika hendak menjadi seperti Chong Wei mereka perlu mele- takkan sasaran yang tinggi.
“Macam Chong Wei sasaran dia tinggi. Contohnya, dalam setahun berapa kejoha- nan yang dia mahu menang. Begitupun, ia tidak berlaku kepada pemain-pemain lain ini kerana mereka ambil sambil lewa.
“Menyertai mana-mana kejohanan sekadar bermain sahaja tanpa ada sasaran. Bagi saya, apa yang penting adalah sasaran pemain itu sendiri.
“Biarpun gagal mencapai sasaran terse- but tetapi tunjuk yang kita ada usaha untuk mendapatkannya. Kalau cakap sahaja pun tidak guna,” tambah Rashid.
Secara matematiknya, jika benar Chong Wei akan bersara sebaik Sukan Olimpik 2012 melabuhkan tirainya, maka BAM perlulah mencari formula terbaik untuk mempersiapkan pemain-pemain yang ada ketika ini untuk menggalas tugas selaku jaguh No. 1 negara.
Bak kata pepatah Melayu, ‘sediakan payung sebelum hujan’. Buatlah persiapan le- bih awal kerana ramai yang sedar bahawa badminton merupakan salah satu sukan yang sentiasa mengharumkan nama Malay- sia di pentas antarabangsa menerusi Chong Wei.

Kosmo

Denmark Open: Will Lin Dan give another walkover? Can Chong Wei reach 10th final?

One is consistent. The other is unpredictable.
And that makes for an intriguing and exciting time when two of the world’s greatest shuttlers – Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan – take to the courts in the Denmark Open, which begins in Odense today.
World No. 1 Chong Wei is ready to get back to winning ways after losing to Chen Long of China in the final of the Japan Open last month.
The 29-year-old Chong Wei had said after the defeat that he does not want to lose by less than 10 points any more.
Chong Wei lost 8-21, 21-10, 19-21 to Chen Long – the first time he had lost to a player other than Lin Dan.
“The Japan Open defeat was a good learning experience for me. I guess it’s good to lose once in a while as it keeps me on my toes,” said Chong Wei.
“The first game defeat to Chen Long was demoralising. I could not believe that I only got eight points. I will try not to let that happen again.”
Chong Wei’s mission now is to reach his 10th final of the year – and prove that he is the most consistent player this year.
“I have not missed a single final appearance and, hopefully, I can keep the record intact. It will be great if I can win it,” said Chong Wei, who marked his supremacy on the local scene by winning his 10th national title in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
While Chong Wei has been consistent, Lin Dan has been taking everyone for a ride – playing superbly in some tournaments and conceding walkovers in others.
Lin Dan has cited different injuries for conceding walkovers in matches against his team-mates at this year’s Malaysia Open quarter-finals (back injury, against Chen Long), Singapore Open final (stomach problem, against Chen Jin) and Japan Open semi-final (toe injury, against Chen Long).
In Denmark, Lin Dan may meet Chen Long in the semi-finals. It will be interesting to see what Lin Dan will do – concede a walkover or flex his muscles.
“It does not matter what Lin Dan does. China want more people to qualify for the Olympic Games. Some of the things done may seem unsportsmanlike. But I would rather focus on myself and next year’s Olympic Games,” said Chong Wei, who faces India’s P. Kashyap today.
The other players in Chong Wei’s half are Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat; China’s Chen Jin and Wang Zhengming; and Denmark’s Peter-Gade Christensen, Hans-Kristian Vittinghus and Viktor Axelsen.
Second seed Lin Dan and Chen Long are in the lower half with compatriot Du Pengyu, Japan’s Sho Sasaki and Indonesia’s Simon Santoso.
Courtesy of The Star

Chong Wei names future stars

Liew Daren has beaten world class shuttlers Lee Hyun Il and Simon Santoso.

LEE Chong Wei believes there is light at the end of the tunnel for Malaysian singles if the recent results of several back-up players are anything to go by.
The World No 1 has named four back-up players -- Liew Daren (World 24), Chan Kwong Beng (23), Chong Wei Feng (24), Arif Latif (22) -- who can become top internationals.

Chong Wei also pointed out that younger players like Goh Soon Huat and Misbun Ramdan Misbun are the ones in the feeder group who can make a strong impact.
Daren has already beaten world class shuttlers like Lee Hyun Il of South Korea and Simon Santoso of Indonesia while Chan Kwong Beng made a breakthrough in the Indonesia Open grand prix gold last month by toppling Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia to reach the quarter-finals.
Arif, 22, is the youngest among the four but have regularly beaten the trio on the local circuit. But so far, he hasn't been successful in transforming that form into the international scene.

Soon Huat, 21, and Ramdan, 20, did well to reach the final and semi-finals respectively before losing to Chong Wei in the National Grand Prix Finals at Juara Stadium which ended on on Saturday.
"Daren, Kwong Beng, Wei Feng and Arif are about the same level and if they can keep pushing for better results, they can become top international players.

"However, they cannot take too long and must establish themselves within the next 18 months if they want to have ful international success," said Chong Wei.

"Since I won't be playing in the National GP Finals next year, they should aim to win the title and take it as a confidence booster. I beat my seniors in 2003 for my first title and they were already world class players then and it gave me confidence and I started progressing fast.
"Every victory is a step forward and they cannot be satisfied for just being in the national team but must make their mark.

"Soon Huat and Ramdan are younger and they would take probably two years. Both have positive attitude and they have already started beating their seniors in the national squad and this competition is also healthy."

Chong Wei may have left out Asian junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli because he was commenting on the players in the national squad. Nonetheless, Zulfadli should heed Chong Wei's advice and make a "faster breakthrough".
Courtesy of New Straits Times

National GP Finals: Perfect 10 without much sweat

Lee Chong Wei hardly raised sweat in winning.

THE perfect 10 was achieved and Lee Chong Wei said farewell to the local circuit after another overwhelming victory in the National Grand Prix Finals at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
Chong Wei, who first won the title as a 20-year-old in 2003, hardly raised a sweat beating newcomer Goh Soon Huat 21-11, 21-5 in just 29 minutes.

Chong Wei had earlier announced that it will be his last appearance on the local circuit and stressed again that it will not only help him focus on his target to win gold in the London Olympics but also give the younger players a chance on the National GP Finals next year.
The fact that local events had often disrupted his preparations for international events is the main reason why Chong Wei doesn't want to take any chances next year in the hope that London will provide him with a final chance of nailing an Olympic gold.
Chong Wei will be competing in the Denmark Open, beginning on Tuesday, and the French Open in Paris which begins on Oct 23.

"I have always put emphasis on the local circuit and now that I have won 10 straight titles, I want to focus on the international scene and my preparations for the London Olympics next year," said Chong Wei.
"Not that I can win international honours by skipping tournaments but I don't want my preparations to be disrupted. It always creates a doubt when I am unable to go through my training fully and I don't want to take any chances next year with the Olympics being the priority."

He added: "My target in the Denmark Open and French Open is to gain sufficient Olympic ranking points so that I can maintain my No 1 position going into the Olympics."

Soon Huat said there is no chance of him beating Chong Wei but felt it was a good experience playing the latter in his first final on the national circuit.
"I couldn't cope with the pace but it was a good experience. He will not be around next year and I want to take advantage and it will give my better chance of winning the title."

The tournament saw new champions crowned in the other four events.

Lydia Cheah, beaten finalist on four previous occasions, ended her jinx when she beat Tee Jing Yi 21-14, 21-17 to secure the women's singles crown.

Mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying were third time lucky when they defeated Tan Wee Kiong-Woon Khe Wei 21-15, 21-14.

Fairuzizuan Tazari-Ong Soon Hock, playing in their last tournament together, clinched the men's doubles crown when they edged Vountus Indra Mawan-Lutfi Zaim Khalid 19-21, 21-15, 21-19.

Women's doubles Vivian Hoo and Khe Wei also clinched the title for the first time as a pair when they beat Chin Eei Hui-Goh Liu Ying 17-21, 21-15, 21-15. Khe Wei won the title with Marylen Ng last year.
Courtesy of New Straits Times

Top seeds fall in men’s singles

Eric Pang gave the home crowd something to cheer about as he defeated second seed Ajay Jayaram to reach the semi-finals of the Yonex Dutch Open on Friday.

The fifth seeded Dutch player was forced to dig deep before he closed out a tight match 21-11, 22-24, 24-22.  He will meet Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen, who came back from an opening game loss to beat India’s Arvind Bhat 20-22, 21-13, 21-12.
Taiwan’s Hsueh Hsuan Yi stunned third seed Przemyslaw Wacha of Poland (right) to reach the semi-finals.
The seventh seed, overcame a first game deficit before pulling away to beat his higher ranked opponent 19-21, 21-19, 21-14 to reach the last four where here will meet unseeded Dane Rasmus Fladberg. Fladberg outplayed Ukraine’s Valeriy Atrashchenkov 21-16, 21-17 in his quarter-final match.
Thai sensation Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, who is the top seed and Holland’s Yao Jie, who is seeded second, both safely reached the semi-finals with easy victories.
Porntip defeated Taiwan’s Pai Hsiao Ma 21-19, 21-15 while Yao Jie outplayed Ireland’s Chloe Magee 21-11, 21-16.
In Saturday’s semi-final, Porntip will meet India’s P.V. Sindhu who defeated Switzerland’s Jeanine Cicognini 21-18, 21-19 while Yao Jie meets Denmark’s Karina Jorgensen, who edged Czech Republic’s Kristina Gavnholt 21-14, 17-21, 21-19.
The hosts have two more semi-finals to cheer on Saturday as Ruud Bosch-Koen Ridder and Lotte Jonathans-Paulien Van Dooremalen reached the last four of the men’s and women’s doubles competitions respectively.
Bosch-Ridder eased into the last four with a 21-19, 21-16 victory over India’s Pranav Chopra-Akshay Dewalkar while Jonathans-Van Dooremalen beat the Dutch-Ukraine combination of Marija Ulitina-Natalya Voytsekh 21-14, 21-15.
The mixed doubles will be a battle between Thailand and Germany after both countries had two pairs each make it to the last four.
Top seeds Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam defeated Denmark’s Mikkel Delbo Larsen-Lena Grebak 21-14, 21-17, to set up a meeting with third seeds Michael Fuchs-Birgit Michels, who received a walkover from Ukraine’s Valeriy Atrashchenkov-Anna Kobceva.
Second seeds Songphon Anugritayawon-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul beat Singapore’s Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Vanessa Neo of Singapore 21-16, 21-10 and will play Peter Kaesbauer-Johanna Goliszewski, who beat Taiwan’s Lu Chia Bin-Wu Ti Jung 21-23, 21-13, 21-15.

National GP Finals: Unheralded Soon Huat stuns Wei Feng to book final date with Chong Wei

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei cruised into the final but it was back-up shuttler Goh Soon Huat who stole the thunder in the semi-finals of the National Circuit Grand Prix Finals at the Juara Stadium, Bukit Kiara, yesterday.
Chong Wei, bidding to win his 10th national title and exit the local scene with a bang, despatched Misbun Ramdan Misbun 21-10, 21-14 in just 26 minutes.
The 21-year-old Soon Huat, competing in the semi-finals for the first time, showed incredible fighting spirit to claw back from a game down to beat elite shuttler Chong Wei Feng 13-21, 21-18, 21-14.
KL Open champion Wei Feng took the first game 21-13, as Soon Huat seemed out of sorts, and he appeared to be well on his way to a second appearance in the final of the GP Finals since 2008, leading 17-13.

Goh Soon Huat in action at the Juara Stadium - Star pic by SHAHRUL FAZRY ISMAIL

However, the Malaccan-born Soon Huat suddenly found his rhythm, and took the second game 21-18.
Revitalised, Soon Huat made no mistake in the third game, clinching it 21-14.
“It was a great feeling beating Wei Feng for the first time,” said Soon Huat, who had lost to Wei Feng in all four of their previous meetings.
“In the second game, I thought I had no chance when I found myself trailing 13-17. That was when I decided to just go all out and attack. Luckily for me, it paid off.
“I’m really happy and excited to be in the final. I hope I can maintain this performance against Chong Wei.”
Chong Wei, meanwhile, was glad to see the younger players making their way into the semi-final stage of the GP Finals “because in my time, it was much harder”.
“I’ve trained with Misbun since he was younger and it’s good to see that he can beat older players like Mohd Arif (Abdul Latif).
“As for Soon Huat, he’s a relatively new player in the BAM fold. Although he hasn’t had much success in overseas tournaments, he’s playing well on the national scene.
“He just needs to keep improving and show that he has the desire to become the country’s second singles player. The SEA Games in Jakarta next month will be a good opportunity for him to show what he’s made of.”
In men’s doubles, the scratch pair of Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock came back strongly after losing the first game to stun tournament favourites Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem 12-21, 23-21, 21-15 and qualify for the final.
They will meet Mohd Lutfi Zaim-Vountus Indra Mawan in today’s final.
Tee Jing Yi remained well on course for her third national title after disposing of former national player and 2008 champion Julia Wong 21-5, 21-14 in the women’s singles.
Jing Yi will take on Lydia Cheah in today’s final. Lydia overcame younger sister Sonia 21-18, 21-16 in the other semi-final.
Courtesy of The Star

Indonesia Open GP: Vivian-Khe Wei upset China pair

WOMEN'S doubles Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei brought cheers on an otherwise dismal day for Malaysia when they upset China's experienced Cheng Shu-Pan Pan to reach the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open grand prix gold in East Kalimantan yesterday.
Vivian-Khe Wei, playing in only their fifth tournament together, notched their biggest breakthrough by beating Cheng Shu-Pan Pan 21-15, 18-21, 21-18 in the quarter-finals to remain Malaysia's only sole survives in the tournament.

It was the third time Vivian-Khe Wei reached the semi-final stage of a grand prix gold event and they have a good opportunity to improve on the record when they play Thailand's Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn-Punyada Munkitchokecharoen, who defeated Indonesians Nurbeta Kwanrico-Deariska Putri Medita 21-19, 11-21, 21-13, today.
National women's doubles coach Rexy Mainaky said the duo had the potential to become a top international pair and he is glad they have started doing justice to their immense talent on a consistent basis.
"I have observed them for some time now and they have plenty of potential. Now they are proving that they are indeed a very good combination and we can see them really improving," said Rexy yesterday.

"However, I don't want to rush them into big tournaments and just focus on producing results in the grand prix gold events. Once they build their confidence, then it is time to regularly play in the Super Series where they will be ready to face the challenge against top 10 pairs.

"Their biggest obstacle in reaching the final was the China pair. It will be another test of character for Vivian-Khe Wei against the Thai pair.

"Although they have shown a marked improvement, I am not placing any pressure on them to win the tournament or even the Sea Games in Jakarta in November.
"Their target for the Sea Games is a semi-final spot and I hope they can make it.

"Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari-Gresia Polii will be a threat in the Sea Games and Vivian-Khe Wei can give a tougher resistance."

Malaysia didn't fare well in the men's singles where Chan Kwong Beng lost 21-15, 21-19 to Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia while another Indonesian player, Alamsyah Yunus, defeated Misbun Ramdan Misbun 21-16, 21-14 in the quarter-finals.

Favourite Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia shut out Wang Zhengming of China 21-17, 21-15 to give his title chase a boost and will play Tommy in the last four today.

Men's doubles, Tan Wee Kiong-Ow Yao Han, who shocked Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia on Thursday, found the going tough against another local pair, Rendy Yohanes Sugiarto-Afiat Yuris Wirawan, losing 21-19, 21-17.
Courtesy of New Straits Times