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10-31-2003, 01:51 AM
By RAJES PAUL
KUALA LUMPUR: Former doubles shuttler Joanne Quay is making a return to the national team but she will not come under the charge of coach Cheah Soon Kit.
Joanne will join the Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) first-ever programme for full-time mixed doubles players and former doubles player Rosman Razak has been officially appointed as the coach.
The move is aimed at strengthening the Malaysian team for mixed team championships – the Commonwealth Games and the Sudirman Cup.
It is also hoped that the Malaysian mixed doubles pairs will get to be on par with the best from South Korea, China and Indonesia to challenge strongly in Open tournaments and win places in the Olympic Games.
Besides Joanne, the others under the new programme are the men's back-up doubles players – Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, Ong Soon Chiang, Jack Koh and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari. The other women are Marilyn Pang, See Phui Leng and Tania Teoh.
With the return of the 23-year-old Joanne, other former players, among them Chor Hooi Yee and Manchester Commonwealth Games gold medallists Lim Pek Siah and Ang Li Peng, are also expected to follow suit.
The BAM secretary, P. Ganga Rao, said yesterday: “Previously, we only had mixed doubles players for brief stints before major Games.
“We will now have mixed doubles players training daily throughout the year. This will rectify our weaknesses in the mixed team championships.”
Ganga said that Rosman's task was to prepare strong pairs for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
He added that players like Zakry would still play in the men's doubles but the mixed doubles would be his main event.
Joanne, who quit the national team in 2001, was lured to join the mixed doubles squad and she would begin training tomorrow.
Over the last 10 years, Malaysia's best result in the mixed doubles was the silver medal by Chew Choon Eng-Chin Eei Hui at the Manchester Commonwealth Games last year.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former doubles shuttler Joanne Quay is making a return to the national team but she will not come under the charge of coach Cheah Soon Kit.
Joanne will join the Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) first-ever programme for full-time mixed doubles players and former doubles player Rosman Razak has been officially appointed as the coach.
The move is aimed at strengthening the Malaysian team for mixed team championships – the Commonwealth Games and the Sudirman Cup.
It is also hoped that the Malaysian mixed doubles pairs will get to be on par with the best from South Korea, China and Indonesia to challenge strongly in Open tournaments and win places in the Olympic Games.
Besides Joanne, the others under the new programme are the men's back-up doubles players – Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, Ong Soon Chiang, Jack Koh and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari. The other women are Marilyn Pang, See Phui Leng and Tania Teoh.
With the return of the 23-year-old Joanne, other former players, among them Chor Hooi Yee and Manchester Commonwealth Games gold medallists Lim Pek Siah and Ang Li Peng, are also expected to follow suit.
The BAM secretary, P. Ganga Rao, said yesterday: “Previously, we only had mixed doubles players for brief stints before major Games.
“We will now have mixed doubles players training daily throughout the year. This will rectify our weaknesses in the mixed team championships.”
Ganga said that Rosman's task was to prepare strong pairs for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
He added that players like Zakry would still play in the men's doubles but the mixed doubles would be his main event.
Joanne, who quit the national team in 2001, was lured to join the mixed doubles squad and she would begin training tomorrow.
Over the last 10 years, Malaysia's best result in the mixed doubles was the silver medal by Chew Choon Eng-Chin Eei Hui at the Manchester Commonwealth Games last year.