NEWS : A new role and partner for Wan Wah after his return from injury

[size=-1]The Star Online > Sports[/size]

Wednesday January 5, 2005​

[size=+2]A new role and partner for Wan Wah after his return from injury[/size]

BY RAJES PAUL KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran doubles shuttler Lee Wan Wah will be back in action next week after a four-month layoff due to a knee injury. On his return the season campaigner will be playing a different role and pairing up with a different partner.

For a start, the 31-year-old Wan Wah will help out the men's doubles department by replacing men's doubles back-up coach Tan Kim Her. Kim Her has been appointed as the South Korean doubles coach.

The real test on Wan Wah's recovery will come during the Japan Open in April.

Although, national doubles chief coach Yap Kim Hock has not revealed his new partner just yet, there is a possibility of Wan Wah teaming up with former Malaysia's top singles player Wong Choong Hann.

Yesterday, Kim Hock said that Wan Wah had showed good progress since undergoing a knee surgery in October.

After losing in the quarter-finals of the Athens Olympic Games in August with his regular partner Choong Tan Fook, Wan Wah had aggravated his knee injury.

“Wan Wah will be back next week but only to help coach the team twice a week. I want him to make a slow comeback and for time being, he can take over Kim Her's place until we get another coach. He is still going through rehabilitation and can't jog yet. But he can help out with multi-shuttle-drill for the others,†said Kim Hock.

“This does not mean that Wan Wah is going to be a coach. I still want him to play for the country.â€

A new partner for Wan Wah would be announced after the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)'s coaching and training committee meeting on Friday.

“Wan Wah probably needs another two months to be back on his feet. If he copes well in training, I am looking at Japan Open in April as the earliest tournament for him,†said Kim Hock.

“He will certainly not be paired up with Tan Fook. Tan Fook and (Chew) Choon Eng will be out to qualify for the World Championships (in August) and I do not want to disrupt their new partnership. In fact, I do not plan to break up any of our current eight pairs in the national team. He will certainly get a new partner,†added Kim Hock.

Besides Tan Fook-Choon Eng, the other seven pairs are Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat, Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock, Lin Woon Fui-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari, Gan Teik Chai-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How, Lok Chong Hong-Ong Soon Chiang, Jack Koh-Tan Zhao Rong.

With none of Wan Wah's possible partner expected to come from the doubles department, Choong Hann seems to be ideal choice as his partner. In fact, playing in doubles would probably help Choong Hann, who has been suffering a lean spell in his singles career.

Playing a dual role - in singles and doubles - is nothing new for Choong Hann. He was a semi-finalist with Wan Wah in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.