When I watched the Malaysia doubles at the Thomas cup I was wondering how could someone as round, obviously carrying many extra pounds, as Hoon, could perform at the highest level? He is not the only one of course, Kido being another famous example, and amongst the ladies there are a certain numbers to. Is it a matter of physionomy? They train all day, how can they be so overweight? Being a pro, on a national team, how come the coaches don't regulate their diet? How can being 10kg less heavy not enhance their performance? if you guys have a clue, share it!
Diet is not regulated. Dieticians can advise. Just like smoking is advised against but some pros smoke. When the stakes are high (more money), endorsements and branding are bigger and the competition is fierce will athletes pay more meticulous attention to the finer details.
Lol... you're not the only one to think this... Gill Clark mentions this every single time when Ah How plays. Apparently according to someone that knows him indirectly, he loves to eat... and lots. Which isn't all that surprising...
I can think of three possible reasons: - he does not train as regularly/hard as the others in the team - he has some sort of "illness" or a slower metabolism - he does indeed, as visor mentioned, love to eat
i think possibly all 3 of the above... due to his weight, i am sure he can not train as hard as others, and no matter, how lazy he train, he is still in the national team and their training no normal human can take, he must have slow metabolism that's why he gain weight, I know all others national players also eat as much if not more. these players can eat 3-4 times more than average joe
I mean, he plays good, so his skill and even physical effort is not in question... But imagine if he would be slim! I am surprised to learn that diet is not regulated in national teams. I thought that aspect would have been followed carefully.
Those big Chinese ladies? They're just stocky, not even chubby. I'm sure those few like WXL can smash holes thru me and out arm wrestle me. At least they're way healthier looking than someone like Kim HaNa.
there has been a few more chubby players in professional badminton, Zhang Jun is probably the most famous and accomplished, and if he can cover the court like he does, and has the nickname Zhang One Shot (meaning he is so powerful he kills off the rally in one smash), who cares.
You guys are being very hard on these highly trained, highly motivated people. Regardless of what they look like, they obviously have whatever it takes to have made it to their national teams. At that level it is not looks but results that count.
I agree for the Chinese ladies, YY and Du Jin are/were not just stocky, but had jelly stuff around the waist. That's the thing: some of the fat player do really well. It is hard for me to understand, though of course it is not as important in doubles as it is in singles. After all, men double players do a lot of jump smashes. I suppose balance is more important.
Hoon isn't the only one, but he gets mentioned the most. Performance counts and if he can perform at top ten level, that's pretty good! Of course, one always wonders how much better he could be if he were to be 10kg lighter but that's up to him and his coaches. Here's another example of a high performance athlete from the world of darts: badminton comes off far better
Ummm... I'm not sure I'd consider a pro pool player or a pro dart player an athlete... much less a high performance one... but I'm sure your tongue was firmly planted in cheek when you posted that...