KUALA LUMPUR – The odds are stacked against independent mixed-doubles pair Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing in the BWF Race to Paris rankings as they currently occupy the 24th place.
In the mixed doubles, a nation is only allowed to send two pairs to the 2024 Paris Olympics if they are in the top eight in the rankings at the end of the qualifying period in April.
Their fellow Malaysians, national pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, are currently in eighth place.
Even Kian Meng and Pei Jing’s coach, Rosman Razak, admitted that they would need a miracle to qualify for the July’s Summer Olympics.
However, he sees a glimmer of hope in the attitude of his charges.
“What I like about Kian Meng and Pei Jing is that, even though the odds are against them for Olympic qualification, they stay focused and motivated to continue pushing for qualification.
“From a performance standpoint, they have not dropped by that much, it is just that the competition for Olympic slots is high, and they have not been consistent.
“Their issue at the start of last year was they did not perform well, causing their rankings to drop. When that happens they will get bad draws at tournaments.
“Even if their form is good they will get drawn with strong pairs (in the early rounds of tournaments) so all these factors add up,” said the former Akademi Badminton Malaysia coach when contacted by Scoop.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing have been drawn to meet Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun from South Korea at the season-opening Malaysia Open to be held at the Axiata Arena from January 9 until 14.
The South Koreans are the tournament’s seventh seeds but the Malaysians have a 2-1 record against their opponents.
Rosman believes that the competition is so fierce at the Super 1000 event that rankings do not matter that much.
“For this edition (of the Malaysia Open), in the men’s and mixed doubles, the competition is very high. Even if you are the world number one, you can still lose in the first round.
“What matters is your performance on the day; you can plan tactics all day long, but if you don’t turn up, it does not matter.
“How they handle the situation on the court, the shuttle, the atmosphere of the crowd – all these things they need to get a handle on quickly if they want to succeed.
“Believing in their ability and themselves will also be key,” Rosman added. – January 7, 2024