Peng Soon-Liu Ying picked for Road to London programme

Posted by Lucas Liau Latest News 1:49 PM

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying are both young and ambitious.
And to top that, they have now won the biggest break in their career as they bid to become the country’s first mixed doubles medallists at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying are the latest inclusion in the country’s Road to London programme, which means they will now be given a lot of focus and opportunities to gain maturity in their game and join the race to win a ticket for their Olympic debut.
The other elite shuttlers who are already in the programme are the more established players like Lee Chong Wei, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Wong Mew Choo and Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty.

National coach Jeremy Gan said that the inclusion of Peng Soon-Liu Ying in the Road to London programme was a great recognition for the mixed doubles – an event that has been in the shadows for some time.
“It will give our players the extra motivation to qualify for their first Olympic Games. It also shows that our country now places great importance on the mixed doubles event,” said Jeremy.
“With better funding and focus, we also hope that the high level tournament exposure from now on will help build the confidence in Peng Soon and Liu Ying to become medal contenders in London.”
Jeremy said that Peng Soon-Liu Ying, who made heads turn when they became the first Malaysian pair to win an international title in the mixed doubles event at the Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) in India last year, had the potential to become better “but they need to be moulded stronger mentally”.
“All the countries have been focusing on the mixed doubles event for some time. We are late in establishing our mixed doubles pair but we can still catch up,” he said.
“Based on the first round defeats in the recent Malaysia and South Korea Opens, Peng Soon and Liu Ying showed that they are at par both skill-wise and tactically. But what they lack is mental strength.
“The top pairs showcase power, strength and great confidence and we are lacking in these areas.
“But Peng Soon and Liu Ying are committed and can improve on these areas. They are ranked 18th in the world right now and they have to move into the top 16 if they are to feature in the Olympic Games.”
Under the new format for the next Olympic Games, only 16 pairs will get to compete in London. They will be placed in four groups of four each.
The top two after the round-robin game in each group will battle it out in the elimination round in a draw pre-determined by the world body.
“The regulations for the Olympic Games have become stricter. Even to qualify is not an easy task. Hopefully, our pair will make a difference.”
Jeremy’s immediate goal is on the qualification of Peng Soon-Liu Ying and world number 30th Ong Jian Guo-Sabrina Chong for the World Championships in August at London.
A country can have a maximum of three pairs if all are ranked in the top 24 bracket in the world.
Both pairs will be out to improve on their world rankings when they compete in the All-England in Birmingham from March 9-13.