[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Seasoned activist Chan Peng Soon is all smiles to have Chin Eei Hui back as his coach.
The 32-year-old sees the reunion with the latter as a great boost to his preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. Peng Soon and teammate Goh Liu Ying, 31, have the best chance of qualifying and doing well in what could be their last Olympics.
Although Peng Soon did not state it openly, it is obvious that he and Liu Ying hope to achieve an unfinished business with Eei Hui: win a gold in the Olympics.Tough Foreman: There is no rest for Chan Peng Soon, even on New Years Day, when he arrives at the gym under the close watch of coach Chin Eei Hui (left) yesterday.
With Eei Hui, Peng Soon-Liu Ying came close before winning a historic silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. They fell battling Indonesian Tontowi Ahmad-Lilyana Natsir in the final.
Peng Soon admitted that he did not see the meeting with Ee Hui before the arrival of the Olympics.
“It was a big surprise that we came back as a team. I never thought this could happen, ”Peng Soon said.
“It is an agreement from our sponsors Li-Ning. We are all excited about this timely partnership. Eei Hui is still very passionate and wants to help us as much as we need her guidance.
“We have trained with her for many years when we were with the national team back then, so it shouldn’t be difficult for us to adapt (to her training program).”
Besides Peng Soon-Liu Ying, the other freelance players who train with Eei Hui are Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong. The former coach of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had signed a one-year contract with Li-Ning on Monday.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying will first need to confirm her tickets for the Tokyo Olympics when the playoffs resume in March.
They currently occupy seventh place in the Race to Tokyo standings and could still be displaced by their compatriots, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (11th) and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (13th), for the rights to represent the country unless two couples from the same country are ranked in the top eight.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying will be looking to get off to a good start in Bangkok when he returns to compete for the first time in 10 months at the Thailand Open on January 12-17.
They will open their campaign against Indonesians Adnan Maulana-Mychelle Crhystine in the first round.
If they win, the fifth seeds will likely face Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Wakana Nagahara in the second round. The real test will likely be in the quarterfinals against top seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand.
The other Malaysian mixed couples making their trip to Thailand are Soon Huat-Shevon, Kian Meng-Pei Jing, and Hoo Pan Rong-Cheah Yee See.
[ad_2]
