[size=-1]The Star Online > Sports[/size] Friday July 23, 2004 [size=+2]Soon Kit tells Eei Hui-Pei Tty not to fear anybody in Athens[/size] BY RAJES PAUL KUALA LUMPUR: Besides putting the women’s doubles pair of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty through a punishing training regime in the build-up for the Athens Olympics, coach Cheah Soon Kit is also having regular pep talk with his charges. Soon Kit believes that gaining a psychological edge will be crucial for the pair in their bid to mount a strong challenge in the Games. And Soon Kit is getting them all fired up by sharing his Olympic experiences with them. HISTORY MAKERS: Wong Pei Tty (left) and Chin Eei Hui are the first Malaysian women's doubles pair to qualify for the Olympics. “I have told them not to fear the favourites. Usually, the fancied players face tremendous pressure and if they have trained hard and play well, anything can be achieved at the Olympics,†he said. Soon Kit won a silver medal with Yap Kim Hock in the men’s doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Games and it was the best Malaysian effort in the Olympics thus far. Eei Hui-Pei Tty are now ranked 20th in the world and they are the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to qualify for the Olympics. Over the last two months, they have chalked up some good performances against pairs ranked among the top 10. In the Uber Cup Finals in Jakarta in May, Eei Hui-Pei Tty defeated world number eight Chikako Nakayama-Keiko Yoshitomi of Japan and went down fighting to Denmark’s world number seven Ann Lou Jorgensen-Rikke Olsen (15-12, 7-15, 8-15). At the Asian Championships in April, they beat the world number nine Shizuka Yamamoto-Seiko Yamada of Japan and world number 10 Chien Yu-chin-Cheng Wen-hsing of Taiwan to qualify for the semi-finals. They took South Korean giant-killers Lee Hyo-jung-Lee Kyung-won to the distance before bowing out. Soon Kit is looking forward to his charges giving more good performances in Athens. “They are the underdogs but I want them to believe that they can do well. They are learning how to pile the pressure on their opponents,†he said. “There is more tactical approach in their game now. The main idea is to give them the psychological edge. “I have told them that the world may not expect them to go far in the Olympics. But I want them to believe in themselves and give their best. I am happy with their commitment in training.†In the Olympic women’s badminton, only one other Malaysian has featured in it – Chan Chia Fong in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
