KUALA LUMPUR – As elite athletes continue to strive for optimal performance on the global stage, mental and physical strength undoubtedly go hand in hand to help them manage the pressure to succeed.
This rings true for national mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who have defied the odds since being paired up in November of last year.
In just a little over a year, they managed to break into the top 10 of the world rankings, showcasing their skills and rapid improvement.
Acknowledging their potential, national mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto sees a high chance of them pulling off a surprise against the world’s top pairs at the upcoming BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China.
Despite a gruelling schedule of 22 tournaments on the World Tour this year, Nova wants the pair to apply a strategic approach.
“I told them to play their best, focus on getting out of the groups, and then aim for the semi-finals.
“I want them to collect as many points as possible for Olympic qualification.
“There is no need to think about winning the whole thing, I don’t want (it) to get (into) their heads and (make them) feel the pressure.
“Sometimes when you think too much about winning you will feel a lot of pressure and won’t be able to perform on the court,” said Nova.
He expressed this belief towards his shuttlers seeing that they had beaten the other five pairs in the top eight who made it to the Finals, apart from Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China and Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino of Japan.
“When I first arrived (in Malaysia in December 2022) we didn’t discuss qualifying for the Finals, we were focused on the Olympics.
“But now that they have made it into the World Tour Finals, which is good, but I told them that they can go further and achieve more.
“It is up to them whether they want to or not,” said the two-time world champion at a press conference held today at Akademi Badminton Malaysia here.
Aside from Tang Jie-Ee Wei, other Malaysian shuttlers who made it to the tournament are top national men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. – December 8, 2023