Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei crash out of Japan Open after straight-sets loss to China's world No. 2 pair
According to The Star, Chen and Toh, ranked world No. 4, were defeated 12-21, 16-21 in just 38 minutes during their clash at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium earlier today.
The result marked their third loss to the Chinese pair in four encounters.
Jiang and Wei, the defending champions, will go on to face Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in the final tomorrow.
The Thai pair advanced after pulling off an upset against world No. 1s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China, winning their semi-final match 21-13, 21-17.
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Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Too much too young? China's 12-year-old phenom Yu sparks wonder and concern
MELBOURNE, Aug 12 — Beating a 12-year-old rival was once child's play for an elite swimmer but it has become an unlikely badge of honour when China's Yu Zidi is in the race. Only the very best in women's swimming were able to beat Yu at the world championships where the prodigy became the youngest medallist in the global meet's 52-year history. Yet even as the swimming world marvelled at Yu's talent, her age raised questions about the ethics of someone so young competing at the highest level. In a sport where the mental and physical toll can prove overwhelming for adults, Yu's success at the world championships was viewed dimly by some child protection advocates. 'Twelve-years-old is incredibly young in swimming,' author Linda Flanagan, a vocal opponent of children competing in elite sport, told Reuters. 'A 12-year-old does not train like an 18 or 20-year-old because their bodies aren't equipped to handle the work involved. 'And also emotionally, it's not in their best interest. 'It flies in the face of what psychologists say about what's healthy for kids, which is not to put all your eggs in one basket, to spread your interests so you don't become this narrow person.' Adolescents are hardly rare in swimming, particularly in women's competition where athletes tend to reach peak performance earlier than men. Dane Inge Sorensen was 12 when she won the 200 metres breaststroke bronze at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. She remains the youngest Games medallist in individual events. Sharron Davies swam for Britain at 11 and made her Olympic debut at the 1976 Montreal Games at 13. Far from being concerned about Yu's wellbeing, Davies said the Chinese wunderkind, who won a relay bronze and came fourth in three individual events on her world championships debut, would have found it a thrill. 'It is a total misconception that that young girl would have been extremely nervous. It would have been the opposite,' Davies told Reuters in an interview. '(When) I made that Olympic Games, I was just on cloud nine. 'There was nothing for me to lose and everything to gain. And it would have been the same for her: she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.' More intense There was little sign of Yu being overawed as she recorded personal bests in the 200m and 400m individual medley (IM), and 200 butterfly. Her time of 4:33.76 in the 400 IM final would have taken the Paris Olympic bronze medal away from 23-year-old American Emma Weyant. Yu told Chinese media the Singapore meet was more intense than she had imagined but the atmosphere was great. 'This relay bronze motivates me to keep working hard,' Yu told Xinhua. 'Right after the race, I talked to my family. I want to bring back the medal.... to share the joy with them.' Yu's may be the last world swimming medal won by a 12-year-old pending a World Aquatics review. Although the global swimming body has a minimum age of 14 for Olympics and world championships, its by-laws allow younger swimmers with qualifying times to compete. Yu qualified at the national championships in May. World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki said the governing body would have to take a look at the age rule. 'I didn't think I'd have this conversation, but now I think we have to go back and say, 'Is this appropriate?'' Nowicki told reporters in Singapore. 'Do we need to do other things? Put other guard-rails up? Do we allow it under certain conditions? I don't know the answer.' An International Olympic Committee consensus statement on elite youth athletes published last year noted adolescent athletes are more susceptible to 'musculoskeletal injuries' while the intense physical and mental demands of sport can bring 'psychosocial strain' and mental health challenges. China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that Yu nearly quit swimming last year when she was 11 because she felt pressure before the national championships. 'I was just overwhelmed with emotion and didn't want to train anymore,' Yu said in comments published by the broadcaster in May. But 'patient encouragement' from her coach and family helped her persevere. The Chinese Swimming Association and China's General Administration of Sport did not respond to requests from Reuters to interview Yu or her coaches, or for comment on the national swim team's safeguarding protocols for child athletes. Australia head coach Rohan Taylor said he would be cautious about selecting a 12-year-old for open competition at a major global meet—but would not rule it out. 'I would go through a process to make sure everything was in place to support that athlete and that we felt we weren't putting any expectation or pressure,' he told Reuters. 'There's a lot of hurdles before we put (athletes) in that situation.' Three years out from the Los Angeles Olympics, rivals and pundits see a big future for Yu. But predictions of super-stardom may not bear out, according to Michael Bergeron, co-author of the IOC's consensus statement on youth athletes and a sport science expert with the Women's Tennis Association. Citing IOC data, Bergeron said just over 30% of under-18 athletes who competed at Olympics returned as adults. 'Maybe she is going to be a superstar down the road but the ones that usually excel at a young age are rarely the ones to excel as an older adolescent, never mind as an adult,' he said. — Reuters
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
Jun Hao out to raise a few eyebrows in debut on prestigious stage
A struggle: Leong Jun Hao did not put up much resistance against Frenchman Alex Lanier (inset) in the first round of the Japan Open. PETALING JAYA: Expectations may not be high on men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao in the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris but the debutant is out to punch above his weight. Despite going through a difficult year so far, Jun Hao has still managed to topple the likes of China's world No. 4 Li Shifeng, Indonesia's world No. 5 Jonatan Christie and Japan's Kodai Naraoka (No. 8). The world No. 25 though has not managed to remain consistent throughout a tournament and is keen to improve his record in the world meet. "I'm excited to get to play in the World Championships for the first time. I'm hoping to get a positive result by pulling off a few upsets," said Jun Hao after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday. "In a major tournament, everyone has chances to do well. I'm taking it one match at a time as always. "Every match is a challenge that I need to overcome and I want to play my best. "In training, I have been focusing on improving my strategies and consistency during matches," added Jun Hao. As part of his preparations for the prestigious meet, Jun Hao will head to Copenhagen for a training camp with the Denmark national team from Aug 18-22. Singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, who was head coach of Denmark before joining the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in January, was instrumental in arranging the training camp in an effort to provide Jun Hao and women's singles player K. Letshanaa with some quality sparring sessions before the Paris showpiece. "Although there is not a lot of time to learn new things, this is a chance to have some quality sparring in a different environment," said Jun Hao. "This is the first time I will be experiencing something like this before a big tournament. "Kenneth has connections as he was the head coach there, so this is a good initiative from him." Jun Hao's best performance in his career so far came in the World Tour Super 500 Japan Masters last November where he finished runners-up to Shifeng. The 26-year-old though has struggled to replicate the form he showed in the tourney, with his best showing this year coming in the Singapore Open in May where he made it to the quarter-finals. In the World Championships, Liew Daren was the last Malaysian to win a medal in the men's singles when he claimed bronze in the 2018 edition in Nanjing.
New Straits Times
13 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Learn from what happened to Pearly-Thinaah
KUALA LUMPUR: National coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's growing maturity as a women's doubles pair holds a valuable lesson for mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei. World No. 3 Tang Jie-Ee Wei briefly split earlier this year before reuniting at the Singapore Open in June. Since then, they've made three semi-final appearances — at the Indonesia Open, Japan Open and Macau Open — and reached the quarter-finals of the China Open. Ahead of the World Championships in Paris (Aug 26-Sept 1), Rexy has urged them to rebuild trust and chemistry — much like world No. 2 Pearly and Thinaah, who never split despite going through a rocky patch of their own. Pearly-Thinaah's relationship hit choppy waters in late 2023 when the pair were visibly not communicating during a match. But they ironed out their differences and climbed to a career-best No. 2 ranking, reaching seven World Tour finals in the past 12 months and claiming two titles. "Pearly-Thinaah also had their problems," said Rexy. "Before this, Pearly didn't seem to accept Thinaah's unforced errors. But now she's learned to live with them — and look at their consistency today. "It's about acceptance. Players are human. You can't just press a button and expect perfection. "If you want to succeed as a pair, you must accept your partner's weaknesses and help them through the tough moments." Rexy said Tang Jie-Ee Wei still show signs of mental fragility under pressure — particularly when matches don't go their way early on. "They can play well when things are smooth, but when opponents fight back or it gets tight, you can see panic creeping in," he said. "This isn't about technique. It's mindset. They need to ask themselves — what are we here for? Are we aligned? Are we ready to fight as a team?" The Indonesian-born coach, known for his straight-talking style, added that the coaching staff can only do so much with tactics and drills — the rest is up to the players. "You can't fix this by working on net play or rotation drills," he said. "The key lies in their thinking."They need to fully accept each other and be in sync — otherwise all their preparation won't mean much." In Paris, Malaysian shuttlers will be gunning for a second world title following Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's historic men's doubles victory in Tokyo in 2022. Malaysia have never won a medal in the women's doubles. The last time Malaysia reached the mixed doubles podium was in 2006, when Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty claimed bronze in Madrid.
