[size=-1]The Star Online > Sports[/size] Friday May 20, 2005 [size=+2]Choong Hann to end bachelor days[/size] PETALING JAYA: National badminton singles player Wong Choong Hann will be ending his bachelorhood next month. Choong Hann will be tying the knot with his long time girlfriend Leaw Pik Sim on June 11. However, plans for a long honeymoon will probably have to wait for the 28-year-old Kuala Lumpur lad as he is in contention for a place in the upcoming World Championships in Los Angeles from Aug 15-21. The southpaw was announced as one of the Malaysian singles qualifiers for the world meet last night. Choong Hann reached the semi-finals of the All-England for the first time this year and he became the first Malaysian singles player to reach the final in the previous World Championships in Birmingham two years ago.
Choong Hann out to win coaches’ hearts The Star Online > Last 7 Days > 23 May, 2005 > Sports Monday May 23, 2005 Choong Hann out to win coaches’ hearts PETALING JAYA: National singles badminton player Wong Choong Hann has already won the hands of his bride, Leaw Pik Sim. Now he sets his sights on winning the hearts of the coaches in confirming his place in the World Badminton Championships, which will be played in Los Angeles in August. The 28-year-old southpaw will be tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend on June 11 and by then, Choong Hann hopes his place in the world meet will be confirmed. Choong Hann, the world number 11, is the third highest ranked Malaysian singles player after Lee Chong Wei (fourth) and Mohd Hafiz Hashim (sixth). However, youngster Kuan Beng Hong is also in contention for a place in the world meet after he was announced as one of the qualifiers. Beng Hong is ranked 12th but it is up to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to pick their final three singles representatives for the world meet. A country can nominate three players, provided they are all ranked inside the top 24. The BAM have until June 2 to decide on the initial list. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) will confirm all entries, including those who are on the reserve list and wild cards by July 11. Although Choong Hann was the runner-up in the last world meet in Birmingham two years ago, his performances have not been that encouraging since then. He has since slipped down the pecking order but Choong Hann has checked the slide with a semi-final appearance in the All-England in March. “I still cannot say for sure that I will be in the team for the World Championships,” said Choong Hann. “All I can do is to continue giving my best in training. It’s up to the coaches to decide whether I am good enough at the end of the day.” But one thing is for sure at the moment. Choong Hann is not giving up on the singles game although he filled in superbly in the mixed doubles role with Wong Pei Tty in the Sudirman Cup campaign in Beijing two weeks ago. “I want to concentrate on the singles for the time being. But I like the idea of playing in the doubles at the same time. I can improve my reflexes and speed. It does help me to become better in the singles,” he said. Choong Hann partnered Pei Tty twice in Malaysia’s Sudirman Cup campaign. They paved the way for Malaysia’s 3-1 win over Japan in the playoff for promotion to Division One with a straight-game win over Ikeda Shintaro-Tomomi Matsuda. Choong Hann-Pei Tty also gave a good account of themselves against Taiwan – beating Tsai Chia-hsin-Chien Yu-chin in straight games.
