Wushu team shift gears to Brazil after strong China campaign
KUALA LUMPUR: The national wushu exponents will need to refocus for the World Championships in Brasilia, Brazil, from Sept 1-7 after their recent run of strong results.
They excelled in two major competitions on Chinese soil in the past month – the Asia Taolu Cup in Jilin and the World Games in Chengdu – bringing home an impressive medal haul.
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New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Shuttlers told to aim high despite no BAM target for World Championships
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia are heading to the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31 with one of their strongest line-ups in history. While no official targets have been set by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), expectations could not be higher. With high seeds across three disciplines and buoyed by a string of solid displays this season, the national shuttlers have been urged to aim high and justify their world rankings. BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz confirmed that his council did not discuss or set a specific target, but pointed out that the players should at least perform according to their seedings. "There is no official target set by BAM, but of course expectations are high. Looking at the rankings, there is a minimum expectation that they play to that level. "For doubles, reaching the finals would be the natural assumption," said Zafrul after chairing the BAM council meeting on Saturday. He singled out men's doubles world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and women's doubles world No. 2 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as the country's best medal bets. "For players like Aaron-Wooi Yik, they are already among the top two, so the expectation is clear — try and win it. "Pearly-Thinaah have won the Thailand Open this year, and as world No. 2, we hope they can at least reach the finals," he added. The recent track record supports his optimism. In men's doubles alone, Malaysia's Paris-bound quartet have captured seven titles this year: Aaron-Wooi Yik (Asia Championships, Singapore Open, Thailand Open), Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (Indonesia Masters, Malaysia Masters), Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (India Open), and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Junaidi (Macau Open). Pearly-Thinaah added to the tally with their Thailand Open victory. They also emerged runners-up on three other occasions — the Indonesia Masters, Indonesia Open and Japan Open. Malaysia's depth is further underlined by Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, seeded fourth in the mixed doubles, giving the country genuine medal hopes in three of the five events in Paris. The nation finally broke their World Championships duck in 2022 when Aaron-Wooi Yik captured the men's doubles crown, ending a painful wait since the tournament's inception in 1977. With momentum on their side and several pairs seeded among the top four, Paris presents a golden chance for Malaysia to add to that historic breakthrough and stamp their mark as genuine badminton powerhouse.
The Star
21 hours ago
- The Star
Man-Tee wary of potential clash with Korean duo, but won't overlook earlier pairs
Determined: Tee Kai Wun (left) and Man Wei Chong hope to avoid the same heartbreak at the World Championships in 2023. PETALING JAYA: The men's doubles competition is fierce at the moment, leaving seventh seeds Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun with no clear advantage despite heading to the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31 as one of the top pairs. Based on the draw conducted on Wednesday, Wei Chong-Kai Wun have already mapped out their route to the podium. This time, they are determined not to suffer the same heartbreak as in 2023, when they came close to winning a medal but fell in the quarter-finals on their World Championships debut. Now competing as seventh seeds, they have the advantage of a first-round bye and are expected to face brothers Toma Junior and Christo Popov in the second round. The Malaysians hold a 2-0 record against the French duo. If they advance, the pair are likely to take on England's Ben Lane-Sean Vendy. Lane has just recovered from surgery to remove a small extra bone behind the ankle joint known as the os trigonum. Even so, it is no reason for them to underestimate Lane and Vendy, who are still capable of posing a serious threat. Wei Chong-Kai Wun's main concern is a potential quarter-final clash against South Korea's Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang. Since 2021, they have faced the world No. 74 pair three times but have yet to win. 'This seeding is important in some ways and not so important in others because even the unseeded pairs are strong. Maybe it gives us a slight advantage, but the most important thing is our performance. 'In the round of 32, we might face France's Popov brothers. Matches against them are always tough and it's not a guaranteed win, especially since they will be playing at home, so we need to be well prepared. 'After that, I think we will meet the English pair, who have just recovered from injury. Then there is the Korean pair, Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang, whom we have never beaten before. Hopefully, we can perform well,' said Wei Chong. Apart from Wei Chong-Kai Wun, Malaysia will also have three other pairs in the men's doubles, led by 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, world No. 3 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and debutants Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Wushu team shift gears to Brazil after strong China campaign
Impressive: Tan Cheong Min struck gold in the nanquan and nandao at the World Games. KUALA LUMPUR: The national wushu exponents will need to refocus for the World Championships in Brasilia, Brazil, from Sept 1-7 after their recent run of strong results. They excelled in two major competitions on Chinese soil in the past month – the Asia Taolu Cup in Jilin and the World Games in Chengdu – bringing home an impressive medal haul.
