A pain to watch Koo-Tan but now is not the time to break ’em up

THOSE who watched Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in action on Friday would have either walked out in utter disappointment or in utter disbelief.

It was heart-wrenching to see the way the country’s best doubles players – Kien Keat-Boon Heong – collapse halfway through the game against their bogeymen – Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korea – in the quarter-finals at the Wembley Arena.

What has gone wrong with this pair – who had once won the hearts of the entire nation with their tricky formation, explosive moves and dynamic styles?

They were dubbed “the gladiators of the game” when they ruled the world for almost a year after winning the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

They won seven titles in 2007, including the All-England title.

Now they are just another pair battling with inconsistency.

They reached the finals of three major events over the last one year – last year’s World Championships in Paris, the Asian Games in Guangzhou and this year’s All-England – but choked all three times.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong have always made their way up after every fall – but it only lasts for a brief period before they head back south.

Has the partnership turned stale? Is it time for Kien Keat and Boon Heong to finally part ways?

Maybe it is time for Kien Keat to team up with a younger player from coach Tan Kim Her’s back-up squad. It could be a good move for the experienced Kien Keat and it could also lift the standard of his younger partner.

Boon Heong has done it before with his former world junior champion partner Hoon Thien How. Remember how the duo combined superbly to upset Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung of South Korea in this year’s Sudirman Cup in Qing Dao?

But are the players the problem?

What about their coach Rexy Mainaky?

Credit should be given to Rexy for bringing Kien Keat-Boon Heong together in late 2006 that culminated in the duo winning the country’s gold medal at the Doha Games.

He had vowed to turn Kien Keat-Boon Heong into world and Olympic champions, like him, but to no avail in the last five years.

In fact, Rexy, had twice threatened to quit, after similiar setbacks to his players, only to be coaxed back into the fold by the BA of Malaysia (BAM).

The BAM’s coaching and training committee should have the courage to set targets and time frames for their players and coaches. And, if they do not meet these goals, then they will have to pay the price.

Unfortunately, removing Rexy or splitting up Kien Keat-Boon Heong does not seem to be the right thing to do now – just 11 months away from the Olympic Games, which will be held at the same venue, next year.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong are still the best bets to qualify for next year’s Olympics.

A change in the format has resulted in only the top 16 pairs in the world being assured of places in the Olympics and, apart from world No. 1 Kien Keat-Boon Heong, there are only three other pairs within sight of making the cut – Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock (18th), Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen (24th) and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Thien How (25th).

And that leaves BAM with only one option. Rexy and Kien Keat-Boon Heong should be given a final chance – at least another year to prove their worth.

Rexy has to come up with new ideas to re-invent Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s game.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong have to re-evaluate their commitment to the game and start afresh.

They have to discard their defensive approach and add more sting to their attack.

And, if they still fail to make any headway and play below expectations at the London Olympic Games, then they had better be prepared to face the consequences.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 9:58 AM. Filed under Top News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0