KUALA LUMPUR: The preparations of the national badminton doubles shuttlers for the Olympic Games have now entered "fifth gear", with increasing enthusiasm to secure medals in Paris.
Akademy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) Director of Coaching, Rexy Mainaky said the team consist of the 2022 men's doubles world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, and mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
He said they are eager to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games following a week-long final phase of training in Lille, approximately 219 kilometres from Paris.
"Technically, our men's, women's, and mixed doubles have made excellent preparations since the training camp started here (Lille) last Sunday (July 17).
"Until the last day (yesterday), they have shown high commitment and extraordinary spirit during training. That is a positive sign leading up to the Paris Olympics," he said in a statement.
Despite Aaron-Wooi Yik undergoing significant preparations, Rexy said that there are still some elements that need to be improved for the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists, particularly in handling the pressure they both will experience.
At the same time, Rexy said he is focusing on preventing Pearly from getting injured and hopes that Ee Wei, who is currently in her best condition, can control any situation when on the court.
Meanwhile, the doubles expert from Indonesia expressed gratitude to all parties involved, including Malaysia's Chef de Mission for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Datuk Hamidin Amin, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), the National Sports Council (MSN), the National Sports Institute (ISN), and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for their support of the national badminton squad.
He is also optimistic that the words of encouragement from Hamidin, who visited the national badminton squad in Lille, will further inspire each player to fight hard in Paris.
Besides the three doubles pairs, the Malaysian badminton squad also includes two professional singles players, Lee Zii Jia (men's) and Goh Jin Wei (women's), at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The badminton competition, to be held at Porte de la Chapelle Arena, is scheduled to begin on July 27 and end on Aug 5.
The 2024 Olympic Games will officially open this Friday and conclude on Aug 11