KUALA LUMPUR – Despite exiting the Paris Olympics today, women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei can hold her head up high for winning the hearts of Malaysians with her never-say-die attitude on the court.
As a debutant at the Games, the two-time former world junior champion displayed exceptional determination and grit while going down fighting 21-17, 20-22, 23-21 to South Korea’s Kim Ga-eun in the second and final Group H tie at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
Only group winners, in this case world number 17 Ga-eun, advance to the knockout stage of the singles event.
Fans and badminton enthusiasts know that Jin Wei was also without her regular coach, Nova Armada, who did not make the trip to Paris due to a lack of accreditation.
While it is too late to cry over spilt milk, one cannot help but question if the outcome could have been different for Penang-born Jin Wei if she had her coach by her side.
Speaking to Scoop immediately after the hard and painful match, Nova, who also coaches Paralympian Cheah Liek Hou, said: “Honestly speaking, Jin Wei could have closed out the match.
“In fact, she could have won the first game when she was tied 15-15 with her opponent.
“It was very painful, but from what I saw, Jin Wei lost today due to technical factors.
“It’s hard, but we keep going. Jin Wei only started playing top-flight badminton again in the last two years. Prior to that, she had a lot of health issues.
“She’s 24 now, and yes, she could have been at the top when she was 22, but like I said, she wasn’t in the best shape physically then.
“We will keep going.”
In Nova’s absence, Jin Wei was aided courtside by Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky and women’s doubles coach Hoon Thien How.
The other coaches in Paris include national men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen, national mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto, and men’s singles coach Wong Tat Meng, who is with independent singles ace Lee Zii Jia.
For the record, no Malaysian women’s singles player has cleared the group stages of the competition since Datin Wong Mew Choo reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 Beijing Games.
However, it is important to note that in 2008 the singles event was a single-elimination tournament. – July 31, 2024