The Team checked in last Saturday in the Games Village. Rooms are comfortable and have no problem with the surroundings and security. The officials are very accomodating. In fact some of them already made alot of new friends.
They have already been practising for 2 days at the venue. So far no problems and everyone in an upbeat mood and looking foward to the matches against Japan in 2 days time.

ants.. thx 4 ya info.. r u wif them now at doha?? keep updating with us ya~ anybody knows how long do a flight take to reach doha from MAs??

Flight time approximately 13-14hrs.

Flight time approximately 13-14hrs.

13-14 Hours?!! What did they fly on?


From UK to KL is only 12 Hours, and DOHA should be half way?

mmm..... no idea..thanks ants... keep update us k...wish the m'sian team all the best!!! eat well, sleep well n practise well!! haha!!

13-14 Hours?!! What did they fly on?


From UK to KL is only 12 Hours, and DOHA should be half way?


Direct flight is around 8hrs. There is transit (Cheaper).

Update,

Had a good training today. Food in the canteen was good but was abit plain. Many not used to the food yet but good enought. Sun went down as early as 4.30pm!

Update,

Had a good training today. Food in the canteen was good but was abit plain. Many not used to the food yet but good enought. Sun went down as early as 4.30pm!thx ants.. is there snowing?? wat da time there is KL time is 0000hrs

Time in Malaysia now is 11pm. Doha is 6pm. There is no snow in Doha.

Time in Malaysia now is 11pm. Doha is 6pm. There is no snow in Doha.wau~ 5 hrs behind~

Direct flight is around 8hrs. There is transit (Cheaper).
Save money,huh?:D ;) :p

No point spending so much on plane ticket. More things to see and shop while transiting.

No point spending so much on plane ticket. More things to see and shop while transiting.

But more stress for players though, more administration if transit Visas required, and spend more on shopping.

Transit Visa not required. Shopping more? It depend on individual. I love shopping.

Transit Visa not required. Shopping more? It depend on individual. I love shopping.

Doesn't save you any money then:D Or do you get it on expenses:)

juz came back from doha (transit)..i saw some athletes also..
but not in badminton :p

ants.. there's redraw for d men's team event.. hows da conditon in doha now..? n wat team do MAS going to take..??

There is a redraw as everyone know by now. The coaching team is definately fuming during the managers meeting for the redraw. Kim Hock is not happy about it. They will be going to ask for the original draw. IF the appeal does not approve. Coach may complain to ABC for the nessesary action to be taken.

However i heard Team China is also not happy about it.

For the Msian players , they know they have to face China sooner or later. Everyone is still in a good mood and were told to concentrate at the task on hand. Take a match at a time. Off court details the coaching team will handle. Players just play their game.

There is a redraw as everyone know by now. The coaching team is definately fuming during the managers meeting for the redraw. Kim Hock is not happy about it. They will be going to ask for the original draw. IF the appeal does not approve. Coach may complain to ABC for the nessesary action to be taken.

However i heard Team China is also not happy about it.

For the Msian players , they know they have to face China sooner or later. Everyone is still in a good mood and were told to concentrate at the task on hand. Take a match at a time. Off court details the coaching team will handle. Players just play their game.

EVERYONE is definitely unhappy to be drawn with China. It's unfair to Team Indonesia because there's no way they have to face China again after qualifying from the playoff. I think the fairest will be for INA to play against MAS in the semi-finals.

good good.. i was so shocked when i read the news today!! i mean how could the admin do that!! aiks...

i dont see any change on the website .... can anyone tell me where do they put the new draw?

good stuff ants, please keep us updated on the news of the players and draw as soon as you hear. so hard to get good, reliable news about badminton from other sources. also, 1 quick question, do you ever sleep?!??
:p

Real Ants don't sleep one.. but i do sleep.

dudes, the original draw for the men's team event has been restored.... according to the New Straits Times....

so.. they r using da ori draw or redraw...

ants, are you in Doha now?

As of yesterday on the other thread

"Malaysia had a comfortable win over Team Japan. However some of them did struggled a little in the first set. Our young doubles Lin Woon Fui/Tazari did raise some concern after their first outing playing against Japanese Pair. Maybe they got a little jittery. Hope its all over and look foward to the second round. Our KKK/TBH have no problems here. KBH did indeed feel a little pressure playing his first match. All he need is first win and a win he got.


Its rest day today... as everyone is getting excited to witness the opening ceremony in few hours time..."

... and now Malaysia beat Hong Kong 3-1....

P.S. Why was it 3-1? The official PDF Report mentioned Malaysia won 3-1, while the website said 4-1.... Which is correct, and what caused this confusion?

sorry, didnt watch d match, was away!

Malaysia win the matches 3-1

oh, d dead rubber doesnt need 2 b played?? Then how come the commentator said that in Group Matches, ALL matches have to be played, like the first day??

The commentator assume that all matches has to be played.

Hafiz was sounded by Misbun for his loss to Ng Wei.. poor guy. Anyway i would not say that he deserve it. Good thing its Ng Wei in the early rounds. Hafiz just lost the momentum. And not used to playing 1st Singles. Hope he will play better next round.

where is Lee CW?

Lee Chong Wei was rested. Later in the day after Msia vs HK match, the coaching staff definately feel uneasy about the match. Good thing that Msia won. But it might go down the drain if something happened to one of our players like that happened to WCH in TC. We expected Hafiz to win , but he lost narrowly to Ng Wei, KBH looked like a amatuer playing against the "arrogant" looking Chan Yan Kit. But KBH didnt let us down at least for now. Fui Lin/Tazari did infact lost to the HK pair before during the PhilippineOpen. But this time the Msian pair didn't waste the opportunity to dispose the HK pair. Anyway time to look foward now. heheh

Lee Chong Wei was rested. Later in the day after Msia vs HK match, the coaching staff definately feel uneasy about the match. Good thing that Msia won. But it might go down the drain if something happened to one of our players like that happened to WCH in TC. We expected Hafiz to win , but he lost narrowly to Ng Wei, KBH looked like a amatuer playing against the "arrogant" looking Chan Yan Kit. But KBH didnt let us down at least for now. Fui Lin/Tazari did infact lost to the HK pair before during the PhilippineOpen. But this time the Msian pair didn't waste the opportunity to dispose the HK pair. Anyway time to look foward now. heheh

thanks for the info. I feel that KBH improved a lot since WC. Wong CH is also recovering gradually. Maybe Hafiz should take a rest next round.

thanks for the info. I feel that KBH improved a lot since WC. Wong CH is also recovering gradually. Maybe Hafiz should take a rest next round.
No... Hafiz brings more surprises and laughs to me than even Taufik can.:cool:

KBH is playing much better, since at least he is more comfortable winning matches that he should win(from a reasonable perspective).:p

LYB should have included XXZ in the team to ensure a win against WCH if it ever happens.. LOL.:p Too bad, XXZ is not playing singles anymore.

Lee Chong Wei was rested. Later in the day after Msia vs HK match, the coaching staff definately feel uneasy about the match. Good thing that Msia won. But it might go down the drain if something happened to one of our players like that happened to WCH in TC. We expected Hafiz to win , but he lost narrowly to Ng Wei, KBH looked like a amatuer playing against the "arrogant" looking Chan Yan Kit. But KBH didnt let us down at least for now. Fui Lin/Tazari did infact lost to the HK pair before during the PhilippineOpen. But this time the Msian pair didn't waste the opportunity to dispose the HK pair. Anyway time to look foward now. heheh

Malaysia coaching staff need to re-evaluate their players, especially Rexy. I don't think the Malaysia doubles are as good as Rexy stated. Just look at the score lines against Hong Kong, we barely beat them and I don't think we can beat the Indonesia either. What a shame and the toughest test is right ahead. May the force be with us!

No point argue over spoilt milk... decisions has already been made. What the team needs to do is to focus their task on hand. What we need to do is to support them.

Ants, send my regards to all the members of the team.
Wish them all the best n gd luck!!
Thx

No updates on the girls ? Do extend my congratulations to WMC !! I think she did a brilliant job thus far. Thanks ants for your updates.

WMC is great. If there is no China national team members in the tournament, she should be able to win the title. Sometimes, WMC also beat CHN players occasionally. I think her level of playing is compatible with China national champion Zhu JJ. Both Zhu JJ and WMC have superb defense, and run fast to save every points.

EVERYONE is definitely unhappy to be drawn with China. It's unfair to Team Indonesia because there's no way they have to face China again after qualifying from the playoff. I think the fairest will be for INA to play against MAS in the semi-finals.

I agree with you. It should be much more interesting to see INA and MAS play in the SF. INA was beaten by CHN in the pool and it is quite boring to see them get beaten again in the SF. A clash between INA and MAS on the other hand would be very unpredictable and might be decided by the 5th match because these two rivals of SE Asia are still strong and quite close. I am very eager to see a rematch between TH and LCW after the latter's easy loss to TH in JO. Also the MD pairs are close and would be very exciting to watch. But we are going to miss it.

Basically for the Girls Team, they are in an upbeat mood. However they know that its hard to play against China. They played their best even they lost To China. What they are focusing now is to beat the lower ranked teams and concentrate in the Individual event.

WMC is great. If there is no China national team members in the tournament, she should be able to win the title. Sometimes, WMC also beat CHN players occasionally. I think her level of playing is compatible with China national champion Zhu JJ. Both Zhu JJ and WMC have superb defense, and run fast to save every points.
What WMC accomplished is an achievement in taking one set from ZN or to beat JYJ in a previous tournament. China Women team is just so strong, the only players that can beat them are their team mates. Just to think of the practice sessions where the top 5 to 10 or more players in the world all assemble in one training hall and train together (you need high quality practise partners to progress your game), gain experience in the many Opens they participate, first class training and facility, dedication and discipline, 1.3 billion people to pick from, now that is a scary thought.

WMC is great. If there is no China national team members in the tournament, she should be able to win the title. Sometimes, WMC also beat CHN players occasionally. I think her level of playing is compatible with China national champion Zhu JJ. Both Zhu JJ and WMC have superb defense, and run fast to save every points.

WMC's advantage is her stamina. She got excellent stamina and i recall some coach said b4 her stamina is even better than some guys in the national team! And now being given some tips by ZM, she already upsetted a few higher rank player, its a huge improvement.

I do agree that MEw Choo has improved.. but we have to look into the Team Overall.. Msia cannot just depend on WMC or even LCW.

ants, help me to consolde the team members. Although they lost, they did their best. Hope they wil gain better achievement during individual events, gd luck!!!

Opportunity wasted. Thats what i can say in regards to Msia's lost to Korea. The team just can't capitalise in Korea's weaknesses. But hats-off to Korea for beating us. They played a great game and manage to strategize in tackling us... time to sleep now.. :(

Opportunity wasted. Thats what i can say in regards to Msia's lost to Korea. The team just can't capitalise in Korea's weaknesses. But hats-off to Korea for beating us. They played a great game and manage to strategize in tackling us... time to sleep now.. :(

I thought by now we should know what not to expect :D It's really unfortunately how things turned out. Well, we may be down but not out yet as Malaysia will show the true color in Individual event. MALYSIA BOLEH!!!

What we can do now is hope all of thec mas players can play better in the single event...

Opportunity wasted. Thats what i can say in regards to Msia's lost to Korea. The team just can't capitalise in Korea's weaknesses. But hats-off to Korea for beating us. They played a great game and manage to strategize in tackling us... time to sleep now.. :(

I guess you are right about one thing, Ants, MAS players just don't have the X-factor to win in any tournament. The players tend to crumbled in either semis or finals. Hope they learned enough from their defeat and will do better in the individual event then.

BTW, thanks for all the updates. :)

I guess you are right about one thing, Ants, MAS players just don't have the X-factor to win in any tournament. The players tend to crumbled in either semis or finals. Hope they learned enough from their defeat and will do better in the individual event then.

BTW, thanks for all the updates. :)

Sori, may i know the meaning of "X-factor"? thanks!!

I guess you are right about one thing, Ants, MAS players just don't have the X-factor to win in any tournament. The players tend to crumbled in either semis or finals. Hope they learned enough from their defeat and will do better in the individual event then.

BTW, thanks for all the updates. :)


the main question is ........do ther EVER learn???? I'm doubtful!

That is a big question mark. Do they ever learn. Coach Rexy was very dissapointed with the players performance until he threaten to Quit as a coach. Citing that he poured alot of effort wanted the players to win, but during games ,the players not willing to listen to his instruction and want to play their own game.

That burst of emotion was felt by Kim Hock whom later consoled Coach Rexy not to make decision like that.

I also felt his emotion. I know what he meant. Rexy is really a Great Coach.. not only Good.

Although like that,i hope rexy can calm down and continue to become the coach of mas...Without him,Mas man doubles will definitely not rises up so fast...Anyway,just hope they can prove it to us in the individual event...Good luck to all Mas players...We will never give you all up but please don't give up yourself..

Will the Malaysia badminton team pack their luggage home early this time?

I hope not , now the focus i sdifferent..

Sori, may i know the meaning of "X-factor"? thanks!!

X-factor = something in a player that make him/her a true Champion, make a player want to go all the way and not satisfy with anything less than winning a tournament.

I always feel that MAS players tend to feel satisfy everytime they reached the semis or final and start taking thing easy. The next is history repeating itself.

I guess it's easier said than done.

Nowadays, just enjoy Badminton no matter who win. :)

ants...u noe de malaysian team players??
im new here... and can u help me to tell koo kien keat,
(if u got meet him) i'll support him ALways+ALwaYS+and ALWAYS =FOREVER
i hope that her can do his best in the following doubles match
although he n tan boon heong will meet the same pair of korea's double
but i'm sure that he'll win.
he got gf?
can you tell me who is that?:(
anyway, i'll support him always, although he may not really very care about my wishes...
and i'll support MALAYSIA's team 4ever 2!!

ants...u noe de malaysian team players??
im new here... and can u help me to tell koo kien keat,
(if u got meet him) i'll support him ALways+ALwaYS+and ALWAYS =FOREVER
i hope that her can do his best in the following doubles match
although he n tan boon heong will meet the same pair of korea's double
but i'm sure that he'll win.
he got gf?
can you tell me who is that?:(
anyway, i'll support him always, although he may not really very care about my wishes...
and i'll support MALAYSIA's team 4ever 2!!
Looks like you are a superfan of him !! but i think the gf thing is like his private stuff liao la, but if he don't mind to share, we don't mind to know also right ?

Although like that,i hope rexy can calm down and continue to become the coach of mas...Without him,Mas man doubles will definitely not rises up so fast...Anyway,just hope they can prove it to us in the individual event...Good luck to all Mas players...We will never give you all up but please don't give up yourself...
well rexyhas always played as doubles with strong positive mental...
seen his playing days for sure he expects players to learn n posses such
qualities...m`sia boleh must b in mentality...not words only..
its not cool to coach someone who dont b`lieve innerself....

KKK does have a gf. In fact stay near my place. However i cannot disclose other info. Sorry about it.

Welll...another bad day for Malaysian as Fairuz/Lin lost to Guo/Zheng in 2 close sets.

Mixed emotions in the camp. Bad news is that some of our players lost, Misbun is dissapointed with Hafiz for his performance against Lee Hyun Ill, good news is that Rexy has changed his mind about quitting, KKK/TBH upsets the top seed and still on course to the final, I REALLY HOPE THEY WILL HAVE MORE FIRE TO WIN. The indonesian pairing is tricky. LCW will be facing his friend/nemesis on court Taufik.
On paper Taufik definately in the upper hand, but LCW said he will definately try and play his best to win him.

Mixed emotions in the camp. Bad news is that some of our players lost, Misbun is dissapointed with Hafiz for his performance against Lee Hyun Ill, good news is that Rexy has changed his mind about quitting, KKK/TBH upsets the top seed and still on course to the final, I REALLY HOPE THEY WILL HAVE MORE FIRE TO WIN. The indonesian pairing is tricky. LCW will be facing his friend/nemesis on court Taufik.
On paper Taufik definately in the upper hand, but LCW said he will definately try and play his best to win him.
Actually KKK/TBH is quite impressive by pairing more or less a month only, they manage to beat most of the top players, the danish, koreans and now the chinese world champs! The future is bright for this young pair.

Actually KKK/TBH is quite impressive by pairing more or less a month only, they manage to beat most of the top players, the danish, koreans and now the chinese world champs! The future is bright for this young pair.

Chinese WC Fu/Cai are not gold standard. In fact, at the rate they lose matches (to different MDs), they would be losing confidence. INA MDs would be a better yardstick. Let's see. If MAS can beat INA, they can take gold.Then Rexy will coach MAS forever.

Both TBH/KKK actually fared well during practise sessions. It is still a gamble to field them in Asian game. However one good thing is that , their opponent are not used to their game and rotations, so its still hard to study this new pairing at the same time it provide the opportunity for KKK/TBH to capitalise on this.

That's what I was thinking. They may be inexperienced but at the same time, they're too new for other players to know their style. We might have surprises. Wish all the players good luck.

Thanks ants.. for all the updates.

Chinese WC Fu/Cai are not gold standard. In fact, at the rate they lose matches (to different MDs), they would be losing confidence. INA MDs would be a better yardstick. Let's see. If MAS can beat INA, they can take gold.Then Rexy will coach MAS forever.
..hmm, hope that doesn't translate into KKK/TBH playing as a pair forever & ever..:rolleyes: :) :D ;)

Wish Rexy can coach Malaysia forever and ever. Plus KKK/TBH together forever and ever.

Mixed emotions in the camp. Bad news is that some of our players lost, Misbun is dissapointed with Hafiz for his performance against Lee Hyun Ill, good news is that Rexy has changed his mind about quitting, KKK/TBH upsets the top seed and still on course to the final, I REALLY HOPE THEY WILL HAVE MORE FIRE TO WIN. The indonesian pairing is tricky. LCW will be facing his friend/nemesis on court Taufik.
On paper Taufik definately in the upper hand, but LCW said he will definately try and play his best to win him.


Hopefully this is the last game for Hafiz to represent Malaysia. He is too slack and his determination to win for Malaysia is totally 0.

Ya...Mas can't really depends on hafiz...He is just too....I wonder how can he take the all england title...

Hopefully this is the last game for Hafiz to represent Malaysia. He is too slack and his determination to win for Malaysia is totally 0.

Don't be so hard on him. He's behaving like a non-conformist.He won his match against Team Korea while the rest lost. He lost his match against Team HKG while the rest won. On that basis, wouldn't it be better that he loses in Team events ? Don't belittle his loss to LHI who just defeated WN1 and WN2 within 2 days. Hafiz is WN10? Could be worse.

no comment now for them...
plus their bonus point for reaching semis..
minus their point from not reaching final in team event...
there is juz OK for this asian meets for mas team...
i will rate them as good if they could reach final today...

Don't be so hard on him. He's behaving like a non-conformist.He won his match against Team Korea while the rest lost. He lost his match against Team HKG while the rest won. On that basis, wouldn't it be better that he loses in Team events ? Don't belittle his loss to LHI who just defeated WN1 and WN2 within 2 days. Hafiz is WN10? Could be worse.

He won against Park by the skin of his teeth. How to explain winning by 12 in game 1 and losing by 11 in game 2 and then struggle in game 3.
Hafiz should be out of BAM's plan, period. The opportunity should be given to other young players. He has absolutely lost the motivation to play and win. C'mon think about it- he is a millionaire since winning AE. Deep down he may be praying that by his performance, he is sacked from the team to enjoy his RM.

All the best to team Msia in tonight's semi final. Hope they will bring some good cheers to the Msian camp. Best of luck and remember, 'Malaysia PASTI BOLEH!' =)

I really hope badminton team can help M'sia add one more gold medal!!all players!!GAMBATE!!;) :) JIA YOU!!!

Both TBH/KKK actually fared well during practise sessions. It is still a gamble to field them in Asian game. However one good thing is that , their opponent are not used to their game and rotations, so its still hard to study this new pairing at the same time it provide the opportunity for KKK/TBH to capitalise on this.oo..thats y most of the players r changing partners during doha..

Well done to Koo/Tan!!!!!
Hope they can relax n play a nice game tmr......
Malaysia Boleh!!!!
Koo Kean Kiet Boleh!!!
Tan Boon Heong Boleh!!!!

Ants, Ants, where are you??? How's the MAS team now that KKK/TBH is in the final? You must be celebrating all night long with all the players and forgotten about us. :p They are so close now in achieving their goal. Rexy should feel a bit happy now. Malaysia Boleh!!! :D

Pretty please that they will not show us the "MALAYSIAN STYLE" tomorrow.
Good luck guys....keep the form and clinch the title.

I'm glad that I reached home on time to watch the game of TBH /KKK vs INA. I was so nervous but KKK/TBH were really good. Hope they'll keep that up for the finals match. Good luck SKIES!

Basically its the 1st time the doubles go to the finals since Soon Kit/Beng Kiang. Doubles department is happy, but singles is not. There are talks on building up more singles charges. Rexy seems happy but he said "IT AINT OVER TIL THE FAT LADY SINGS". They are still concentrating on the FINAL EVENT. Rexy does have the know how on defeating the Indos. But its up to KKK/TBH to step up and give the Indo pairing a spanking on court for the 1st Gold in Badminton. At the same time Rexy hope that the young guns will not crumble in pressure and nervousness.

Basically its the 1st time the doubles go to the finals since Soon Kit/Beng Kiang. Doubles department is happy, but singles is not. There are talks on building up more singles charges. Rexy seems happy but he said "IT AINT OVER TIL THE FAT LADY SINGS". They are still concentrating on the FINAL EVENT. Rexy does have the know how on defeating the Indos. But its up to KKK/TBH to step up and give the Indo pairing a spanking on court for the 1st Gold in Badminton. At the same time Rexy hope that the young guns will not crumble in pressure and nervousness.

Well said Ants. Let's hope for the best.

He won against Park by the skin of his teeth. How to explain winning by 12 in game 1 and losing by 11 in game 2 and then struggle in game 3.
Hafiz should be out of BAM's plan, period. The opportunity should be given to other young players. He has absolutely lost the motivation to play and win. C'mon think about it- he is a millionaire since winning AE. Deep down he may be praying that by his performance, he is sacked from the team to enjoy his RM.

His win against Park was not impressive but, he still won. Against Lee Hyun-Il, he lost. Chong Wei and Lin Dan lost to Lee Hyun-Il too. Maybe Hafiz is just the victim of people. Whenever he loses, a lot of people throw at him bad remarks but when he wins, he doesn't get that many praises. It must be hard for him.

let's give a conclusion for mas team...
LEE Chong Wei : juz performing OK but not good enough (75%)
HAFIZ :as normal,din giv us surprise,but did better (80%)
Kuan Beng Hong & Wong Choon Hann got nth to judge of caz they did good...

KKK & TBH : 1 words for them...impressive!!! (100%)
LWF & Tazari : maybe can call ok but i think not so (40%)

WONG Mew Choo : did well enough i think (70%)
Julia Wong : absolutely worse (40%)

WPT & CEH :they did their best (100%)
Joanne Quay & LPS :maybe juz OK (60%)

Tazari & WPT :absolutely fantastic (100%)
KKK & Joanne :i think they did a good job (80%)

overall ...
doubles event : 90%
singles event : 60%
afterall i think BAM can still accept DOHA result...

Rexy is giving some last minute advice to the KKK/TBH now. All the best...

Congrats Koo & Tan....although thy did better in semis.
I love them always~

I love them always too.

KKK does have a gf. In fact stay near my place. However i cannot disclose other info. Sorry about it.

oh yes??
oh...my heart broken adi...
nvm lar..juz wish he and his gf happy...
happy forever...
cos if he is happy then i happy too lar..
ants... if can help me 2 send regards 2 him...
thx...now i only hope tat he know tat he has ME as his suPer duPer fans who'll ever support him always and always..
if u can pls tell him.. rest more...
n congrats him 4 winning de gold medal...he deserve it.
and the last... -happy forever-:crying:

oMG!!
MALAYSIA get a surprising gold from our new heroes!!!!
should call them king koo & super tan

ants, remember to tell KKK and TBH that we are super duper proud of them !! And also well done to Chong Wei because he tried his best against Taufik.

yay~ gold medal in badminton men doubles..!!:)
Congrats Koo kien keat and tan boon heong!!!!!!

Congratulation to our newly crowned Asian champion! Keep up the good form and stive for more! Both of you are our heroes!

Since they won the silver medal in WC2006, I know they will achieve something higher in the coming matches. Just cannot believe that it has come so quickly.
Well, they need to be more matured and control the number of unforced mistakes. If they can do it, it's not surprised that they would conquer the coming All England and Olympics 2008.

silver? WC2006? dude this is Koo and Tan's 2nd tournament they've played in, after the Japan Open (excl. Thomas Cup, that's a team event)

Congratulations to Koo and Tan, 2006 Asian Champions!

ants, remember to tell KKK and TBH that we are super duper proud of them !! And also well done to Chong Wei because he tried his best against Taufik.

Message has been relayed! :)

silver? WC2006? dude this is Koo and Tan's 2nd tournament they've played in, after the Japan Open (excl. Thomas Cup, that's a team event)

Congratulations to Koo and Tan, 2006 Asian Champions!

Opps....it should be runner-up in the Japan Open. Remembered wrongly.

Message has been relayed! :)

yer~ my message leh???
got tell him or not??
remember to tell Him AR!!!
in page 5.
thx thx thx ants!!!

hey ants, tell them congrats and salutations for making Malaysia, and themselves and Rexy proud! hehe...

hey ants, tell them congrats and salutations for making Malaysia, and themselves and Rexy proud! hehe...

they are making every one of malaysia's fan PROUD:D
tell them tell them plsss~~

Everyone is back in Kuala Lumpur already. Most of the players including KKK/TBH will be participating in KL Open.

Everyone is back in Kuala Lumpur already. Most of the players including KKK/TBH will be participating in KL Open.

wah so fast.....why dont they tour Doha (vacation) and attend the closing ceremony?

Everyone is back in Kuala Lumpur already. Most of the players including KKK/TBH will be participating in KL Open.

Ants, is LCW still coming to Copenhagen Masters? or he choose to have a break?

Everyone is back in Kuala Lumpur already. Most of the players including KKK/TBH will be participating in KL Open.

there IS a KL Open? never known before... is it a GP or Satelite tournament? hehe sorry...

Anyway, did KKK/TBH get our messages? lol... hehe...

wah so fast.....why dont they tour Doha (vacation) and attend the closing ceremony?

i think they can't wait to be welcomed as 'heros' in Malaysia, that is why they went back instead of staying in Doha :D

however, i think all the badminton contingents have gone back to their own country already, because it's too long to wait for closing ceremony.

Yup KL Open (GP tournament - i think?)
19-23 December at KLBA Cheras :D

i can't wait!

But the draw is not out yet :o

i see... thanks... BTW is there any info on this at bam.org.my or internationalbadminton.org , bcoz i dun remember seeing the KL Open in both sites... hmm maybe i should go an check again! :)

Yup KL Open (GP tournament - i think?)
19-23 December at KLBA Cheras :D

i can't wait!

But the draw is not out yet :o

It's a local tournament. Only players from MAS can compete (if i'm not mistaken)
Check out www.bam.org.my (http://www.bam.org.my) for information ;)

Its a local tournament. :) They are back in KL and taking a one week break. Once they finished playing, they will usually go back the day after. However this time they stayed extra one day for interviews etc...

No heroes welcome. Maybe a celebration dinner. Don't want them to get too big headed.

wow so humble... hehe... but it's good for them, so that they won't get carried away...

[quote=eskey]i think they can't wait to be welcomed as 'heros' in Malaysia, that is why they went back instead of staying in Doha :D
quote]

well, once they hv completed their competitions, they are only allowed to hang out in Doha for 2 days, or esle they have to pay the accomodation themselves at the Games Village. It's not cheap you know =)

Congratulations KKK n TBH!!!

kkk got wear specs??
his mom and dad so kind, welcome him in de airpotrt...
ohh... i wish i was there...
sure kkk's gf was there...
hope koo kien keat and tan boon heong will do their best in their future match no matter with which double..
sure they can!!
support them always!!
anyway, ants, did our msg has been delivered?
i love kkk always~:p

look like i gonna go to watch this year KL open...
wanna watch our new heroes in action...
hahaha...

yer... if can take more koo kien keat's and hafiz hashim's pic..
thx alot!!:p
i hope 2 watch the match in there...:crying:

Badminton/Year-End Review: A gamble, a gold
24 Dec 2006
K.M. Boopathy


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THE BA of Malaysia (BAM) cannot claim it has enjoyed a successful year despite the country winning an Asian Games badminton gold medal after 36 years.

While full credit should be given to men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong for their brilliant performance in Doha, where they swept aside the game’s biggest names, it has to be remembered that their partnership is still young.

The only reason why Kien Keat-Boon Heong featured in Doha was because national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky became desperate. And desperate situations demand desperate measures and that is what Rexy did when he realised that he did not have even one seasoned pair capable of winning a medal, let alone gold, in Doha.


Kien Keat-Boon Heong had only competed in just one tournament — the Japan Open in October where they finished runners-up. But this did not deter Rexy and he put his job on the line by dropping veteran pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, and Kien Keat’s partner Chan Chong Ming from the Games squad.

In came Lin Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan Tazari and the surprise combination of Kien Keat-Boon Heong, who were only supposed to be paired off after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

And the below par performance of Kien Keat-Boon Heong in the team event in Doha suggested that Rexy may have made a big mistake.

It even led to a frustrated Rexy tendering his "resignation" in Doha, but this led to a remarkable response from Kien Keat-Boon Heong as they rose to the challenge and sweeping aside any pair in their path.

But is this just a flash-in-the-pain or the beginning of Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s road to greatness? Can the others deliver by winning major honours?

We can say that Kien Keat-Boon Heong are on the right path to a stellar rise, but it doesn’t look so for the rest.

Lee Chong Wei has the potential to challenge the sport’s two biggest stars — World champion Lin Dan of China and Olympic champion Taufik Hiadayat of Indonesia.

But inconsistency has plagued his game, and his form has plunged since his failure in the World Championships in Madrid in September. Targeted to reach at least the final, Chong Wei suffered his first defeat in seven meetings to Bao Chunlai of China in the World championship quarter-finals.

Much hope was riding on Chong Wei in Madrid as he had won the Malaysia Open by beating Lin Dan and even becoming the World No 1 in July for several weeks. But the fact that he could not handle the pressure when it mattered most, showed that he is still not in the class of Lin Dan and Taufik.

Nonetheless, winning a medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics is not beyond Chong Wei’s ability but what he needs now is to regain his confidence and remain focused on major events and not just doing well in grand prix tournaments.

The 2007 World Championships, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, is where Chong Wei can gain respectability as a top class player but he has to do it by winning the crown.

It is not beyond his capability as Chong Wei is almost unbeatable at home and should he achieve the feat, it will put him in the right frame of mind for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Hafiz Hashim’s form has gone from bad to worse this year, and he is not going to get better if he doesn’t change his coach.

Coach Misbun Sidek has left it to Hafiz to decide, but the former Commonwealth Games and All-England champion doesn’t seem to appreciate the urgency of the situation.

As it stands, Hafiz does not look like he wants to leave his comfort zone and it won’t be a surprise if the 24-year-old never realises his true potential.

The rest of the singles players, including veteran Wong Choong Hann, are not expected to make an impact and the future also looks bleak as the talent in the back-up squad doesn’t look promising.

That leaves the burden of delivering Olympic gold, or a medal for that matter, on the shoulders of Kien Keat-Boon Heong, and Rexy must be prepared to work hard.

Winning tournaments was a norm for Rexy as a player and he needs to instill this in his players. That’s a tough challenge, given the Malaysian mindset, but one responsibility that Rexy has to take.

Rexy must also find ways to bring out the best consistently basis from pairs like Lin Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan Tazari and Gan Teik Chai-Zakry Latif, as depending too much on Kien Keat-Boon Heong will be risky.

As for veteran pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, they have to face the reality that their time is up. The pair have underperformed for so long and it would be better for BAM to place their faith on younger pairs.

After all, we want Malaysian shuttlers to win at the Olympics, Asian Games and Thomas Cup and not rule in the Commonwealth Games alone.

They won four gold medals in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games but their semi-final exit in the Thomas Cup Finals and the defeat in the Asian Games team event means badminton is not scaling the heights it should with the funding that it gets.

Chief coach Yap Kim Hock must realise this. Players who are past their prime must be shipped out and new talent brought in. Risks have to be taken, and as Kien Keat-Boon Heong have proved, they can pay off.

Thay still won the gold, they're one of the best pairs in the Malaysiam squad, maybe even in the world. They will definitely be a formidable pair, actually, they already are one. ...........