KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim was hailed as the hero when he last played in a men’s team event in Guangzhou eight years ago.
And he hopes that good fortune will come his way again when he competes in the Asian Games at the same city.
Hafiz is the second ranked singles player in the Malaysian team behind Lee Chong Wei. The other singles players in the side are Chan Kwong Beng and Liew Daren.
The doubles players in the team are Koo Kien Keat, Tan Boon Heong, Mak Hee Chun, Tan Wee Kiong and Chan Peng Soon.
Hafiz knows that a lot of things have changed, especially on the public perception against him after his famous win over Bao Chunlai in the 2002 Thomas Cup semi-final tie against China, which Malaysia won 3-2, in Guangzhou.
Malaysia went on to lose 2-3 against Indonesia in the final but it was the year that saw the young Hafiz soaring to become the country’s top player.
In recent years, the performance of the 2003 All-England champion has gone downhill due to injuries, poor form and lack of self-confidence.
But Hafiz, who was beaten in the quarter-finals at the recent Delhi Commonwealth Games by India’s P. Kashyap, chooses to be optimistic about his ability to do well in the Guangzhou Asiad.
“The team draw is good and I hope to play my role well. I was in the team who won the bronze medal at 2006 Doha Games and hopefully, we can go one step better,” he said.
Malaysia are seeded second in one half of the draw comprising South Korea, Thailand and Japan. The other half has defending champions China and Indonesia.
Hafiz hopes that he will also enjoy good fortune in the individual event and end an elusive chase for a medal.
In a half of the draw with second seed Lin Dan of China, Hafiz has in his quarter defending champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, South Korean Park Sung-hwan and Japan’s Kenichi Tago.
“I may meet Park or Tago in the second round. My aim is to try to win at least a bronze and it will be very tough indeed,” said Hafiz.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will be banking on the magic of woman doubles shuttler Woon Khe Wei to pull of the unthinkable in the Commonwealth Games badminton competition.
In fact, the 21-year-old Khe Wei and her team-mates hold the key to whether the badminton team can return from New Delhi as the most successful side.
At the last Games in Melbourne, Malaysia won four out of the seven gold medals – through men’s singles (Lee Chong Wei), men’s doubles (Koo Kien Keat-Chan Chong Ming), women’s doubles (Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui) and mixed team.
In order to defend the mixed team gold, the women shuttlers will have to live up to expectations.
Khe Wei will be partnering the experienced Chin Eei Hui for the first time following an injury to Pei Tty while the other women shuttlers are Wong Mew Choo, Lydia Cheah and Goh Liu Ying.
Khe Wei has pulled of the unexpected once – when she formed a strong partnership with Ng Hui Lin to clinch Malaysia’s first gold medal in 34 years at the Laos SEA Games last year.
And national doubles women’s coach Pang Cheh Chang is hoping that Khe Wei would wave her magic wand again.
“The Khe Wei-Eei Hui partnership will be an interesting one. Both are left-handed players and are playing together for the first time,” said Cheh Chang.
“Eei Hui, being the more experienced one, will have to ensure that their combination gets off to a flying start.”
The Games could probably be Eei Hui’s last outing as the 27-year-old is not expected to feature at the Glasgow Games in 2014.
“I received feedback from Eei Hui that Khe Wei has been complementing her well in training. Khe Wei is physically strong and it all depends on her to bring out her best.
“Hopefully, they will achieve good results for the country,” said Cheh Chang.
Khe Wei-Eei Hui have important roles to play in both the individual and mixed team events.
Their main challengers in the women’s doubles are England’s Jenny Wallwork-Gabrielle White and Singapore’s Yao Jie-Shinta Mulia Sari.
The Singaporeans did exceptionally well this year when they defied the odds to win their Super Series title in Singapore.
In the women’s singles, however, the odds are stacked against Mew Choo, who is still chasing her first Commonwealth Games individual title.
In Melbourne, she did well in the mixed team event but went down to England’s Tracey Hallam in the women’s singles final. This time, India’s Saina Nehwal could stop her from making a breakthrough in her last Commonwealth Games outing.
However, there could be surprises in the mixed doubles if Liu Ying and Eei Hui can go the extra mile.
Liu Ying will team up with Chan Peng Soon while Eei Hui will combine with Kien Keat.
The mixed doubles event is the most difficult one to win – especially when the field consists of traditionally strong English pairs of Nathan Robertson-Wallwork, Anthony Clark-White. And one should not rule out Singapore’s world No. 17 Triyachart Chayut-Yao Jie either.
In fact, Malaysia have never won the mixed doubles gold in the Commonwealth Games. Their best was a silver medal through Eei Hui-Chew Choon Eng at the 2002 Manchester Games.
On paper, world No. 1s – Chong Wei and Kien Keat-Boon Heong – are expected to win the men’s singles and doubles titles respectively without much problems.

PETALING JAYA: World number one Lee Chong Wei silenced the home crowd when he stamped his class against Tago Kenichi to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open badminton championships in Tokyo yesterday.
It was a good day for Malaysia in the men’s doubles as well when current and future stars – Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong – checked into the last eight in convincing styles.
Yesterday, Chong Wei showed that he has recovered from his back injury when he subdued Tago 21-10, 21-10 in just 37 minutes.
Chong Wei had faced a tougher time against Tago in the final of the All-England in March, which made the Japanese an overnight star back home.
Today, Chong Wei will take on China’s Bao Chunlai and national singles coach Misbun Sidek thinks it will be an evenly contested encounter between the two.
“It will be a match to watch out for. Chong Wei is playing well here because there is no pressure on him,” said Misbun in a telephone interview from Tokyo.
“We have not set any medal targets for him here. His job here in Japan is to get the tournament feeling – especially after hurting his back at the World Championships in Paris (last month).
“He is showing great comfort in the way he is playing. There is no restriction in his movements. Most of all, he is more relaxed in his approach.
“Chunlai seems to be moving forward without any pressure too.
“Both have nothing to lose and it will be quite close.”
The Malaysian has an excellent record against Chunlai, having won nine of their 13 meetings.
In the men’s doubles, Hee Chun-Wee Kiong justified their selection into the Asian Games squad when they stormed into their first quarter-final of a Super Series event with a 21-13, 21-19 win over Yoshiteru Hirobe-Kenta Kazuno of Japan.
Hee Chun-Wee Kiong have been selected ahead of several senior players and their strong comeback after losing in the first round of the China Masters last week augurs well for the Asiad.
Today, they will take on China’s rising stars and German Open champions Chai Biao-Zhang Nan.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong came through a tough opening game before prevailing 22-20, 21-18 over Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang of Taiwan to set up a meeting with Kim Ki-jung-Shin Baek-cheol of South Korea.
World Championships silver medallist Kien Keat-Boon Heong are hoping to go one step better in the Japan Open after losing in their only final appearance of the event in 2006.
Back-up shuttlers Chan Peng Soon-Lim Khim Wah, however, failed to make it a triple joy for Malaysia in the men’s doubles when they went down fighting 21-17, 10-21, 15-21 to Indonesians Luluk Hadiyanto-Candra Wijaya in the second round.

PETALING JAYA: Celebrating the arrival of the first day of Syawal has offered fresh new hope for shuttler Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, who is determined to make good his new partnership with Hoon Thien How.
Mohd Zakry is set to partner Thien How in their first Super Series event at the Japan Open from Sept 22-27 and they hope to achieve their ultimate goal – to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
The stormy three-year partnership of Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari came to an end recently when doubles head coach Rexy Mainaky, sensing they getting nowhere, assigned them new partners.
Zakry paired up with Thien How to reprise their role in the Thomas Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpur in May while Fairuzizuan formed a new partnership with Ong Soon Hock.
Fairuzizuan-Soon Hock will be seeing action together for the first time in the China Masters next week.
Zakry, who bagged two Super Series titles with Fairuzizuan in the Singapore and Indonesian Opens in 2008, said it was all in the past now.
“My partnership with Fairuzizuan was not going anywhere and we even didn’t qualify for the World Championships this year,” said Zakry.
“I am sad with the decision (to split us up) as Fairuzizuan is not only my partner but my good friend as well.
“But I am taking the decision in a positive way as the coach knows what’s best to get our career going again,” added Zakry, whose immediate aim is to rack up the ranking points first.
“We have no ranking points currently and we have to start working our way up.
“The 2012 Olympic qualifying period starts from May next year and we have to be ready to start fighting for a spot by then.
“Anything else, including qualifying for the World Championships, will come along if we are already up there,” said Zakry.
A country can qualify up to two pairs in the badminton doubles event at the London Olympics but both must be ranked inside the top eight at the end of the one-year qualifying timeline.
Zakry teamed up with Thien How in the Thomas Cup quarter-final tie against Denmark in May and they almost brought the roof down at the Putra Stadium with their tremendous fighting spirit against veterans Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen in the second doubles match.
But their lack of experience and consistency during the crucial stages saw Thien How-Zakry going down 26-24, 12-21, 19-21 to the All-England and European champions.
At the Japan Open, Zakry-Thien How have an easy opening tie against local pair Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata.
Their path, however, gets bumpy after that.
Zakry-Thien How will face either South Korea’s Cho Gun-woo-Kwon Yi-goo or second seeds and Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the second round.
Also in the bottom half of the draw are reigning world champions Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China, who are seeded fifth.
The shuttlers are currently enjoying a one-week break and will return to training on Wednesday.

MALAYSIA’S Koo Kien Keat gave a really big hug to Tan Boon Heong after they downed nemesis Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung of South Korea to march into the semi-finals of the World Badminton Championships.
Yesterday, Kien Keat-Boon Heong overcame the heat, exhaustion and huge expectations that came with their world number one tag to beat the two-time World Championships runners-up Yong-dae-jae-sung 23-25, 21-13, 21-14 in a gruelling 72-minute match.
It was their first win over the Koreans after eight straight losses in international tournaments over two years. In fact, the Malaysians even lost to the Koreans in the recent Taiwan Open semi-finals just three weeks ago.
Today, the Malaysians will take on China’s Guo Zhendong-Xu Chen in the last four. The Malaysians hold a 2-1 record against the Chinese.
Yesterday though, Boon Heong created some anxious moments in the Malaysian camp en route to beating the Koreans. He was breathless trying to cope with the immense heat in the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium but the lanky shuttler refused to give up.
And Kien Keat praised Boon Heong for persevering.
“I am very proud of my partner today.
“He was affected by the heat and was breathless.
“But he still fought on,” said Kien Keat.
“This really speaks of our determination here. We have come through so many hurdles. He was so tired and we had to be mentally strong to overcome the Koreans. Luckily, we pulled through.”
Kien Keat, however, felt that they should have nicked the opening game.
“It was a waste to lose the first game. It drained a lot of energy from us,” he said.
It was indeed an energy-sapping match, with both pairs snapping at each other’s heels and keeping the fans at the edge of their seats.
The tempo eased a little in the second game and the Malaysians pounced on the jaded Koreans to force the decider. What a torrid game it turned out to be until 11-9.
After cooling down with ice packs and getting a lot of encouragement from coaches Rexy Mainaky and Pang Cheh Chang during the breather, the duo came back stronger to slowly open up a gap to race home for victory.
Boon Heong was happy that he managed to hang on, vowing to come back fresh for the semi-final clash against the Chinese today.
“The heat affected me and I felt so tired,” said Boon Heong, who did his part with his powerful smashes towards the end of the game.
QUARTER-FINALS
Men’s singles: Chen Jin (Chn) bt Hsueh Hsuan-yi (Tpe) 22-24, 21-5, 21-13; Taufik Hidayat (Ina) bt Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 21-15, 11-21, 21-12; Park Sung-hwan (Kor) bt Lin Dan (Chn) 21-13, 21-13; Peter Gade-Christensen (Den) bt Kazushi Yamada (Jpn) 21-19, 21-12.
Men’s doubles: Guo Zhendong-Chen Xu (Chn) bt Lars Paaske- Jonas Rasmussen (Den) 21-16, 23-21; Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) bt Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae (Kor) 23-25, 21-13, 21-14.
Women’s singles: Tine Baun (Den) bt Cheng Shao-chieh (Tpe) 21-18, 21-13; Wang Lin (Chn) bt Eriko Hirose (Jpn) 21-16, 21-17; Wang Shixian (Chn) bt Saina Nehwal (Ind) 21-8, 21-14; Wang Xin (Chn) bt Pi Hongyan (Fra) 21-13, 21-15.
Women’s doubles: Ma Jin-Wang Xiaoli (Chn) bt He Jung-eun-Kim Min-jung (Kor) 21-19, 17-21, 21-12; Cheng Shu-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) bt Maeda Miyuki-Satoko Suetsuna (Jpn) 21-8, 21-14.
Mixed doubles: He Hanbin-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Thomas Laybourn-Camilla Rytter Juhl (Den) 21-19, 21-16; Zheng Bo-Ma Jin (Chn) bt Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir (Ina) 21-19, 23-21; Ko Sung-hyun-Ha Jung-eun (Kor) bt Diju V-Jwala Gutta (Ind) 21-16, 21-19; Lee Sheng-mu-Chien Yu-chin (Tpe) bt Tao Jiaming-Zhang Jawen (Chn) 14-21, 21-17, 21-18.

EXPECT the temperature to rise when world No. 1 Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong take on their nemeses Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae of South Korea in the quarter-finals of the world championships at a sweltering hot Pierre de Coubertin Stadium today.
Yesterday, top seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong almost made life difficult for themselves in the second game of a third-round match against Chai Biao-Zhang Nan but made quick adjustments to beat the third-ranked Chinese pair 21-17, 21-17 in 40 minutes.
In contrast, Jae-sung-Yong-dae were ferocious in their attacks and blasted Singapore’s Hendri Kurniawan Saputra-Hendra Wijaya, winning 21-14, 21-8 in just 26 minutes.
Both Kien Keat-Boon Heong and Jae-sung-Yong-dae have not won the world title and they will certainly go all out to keep their hopes alive.
Kien Keat said that they would have to play better than what they dished out against the Chinese yesterday.
“There will have to be more accuracy and better quality from us. We cannot make errors like we did today,” he said.
Against the young Chinese, Kien Keat-Boon Heong started well in the opening game and it looked as though it was more of a battle of serves.
Chai Biao-Zhang Nan did well to catch the Malaysians twice consecutively with a tricky high serve. But later an upset Chai Biao was given a yellow card for questioning the umpire’s decision to fault him for serving above the waist.
One would have expected the Chinese to slow down in the second but they stayed cool to take a 17-15 lead, mostly from careless errors by Kien Keat and Boon Heong.
“Fortunately, we took stock of what was happening and got our strategies right again,” said Kien Keat.
Boon Heong said that they would go all out to end a two-year unbeaten run against the Koreans.
“We know their style of play and it is important for us to adopt a patient game. We have come this far and we will give our best,” he said.
At their last meeting in the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open, Kien Keat-Boon Heong were beaten in rubber games.
In another quarter-final match-up today, former world champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia will also be out to end an unbeaten run against Taiwan’s rising star Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu.
Said Markis: “We have lost to them three times this year and that is not a record that we are happy with. Overall, they are a good pair and we will try to get the better of them this time.”
Yesterday, Markis-Hendra showed their strong desire to win a second men’s doubles world title by beating their younger compatriots Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan 21-12, 21-9 in just 20 minutes.
They had threatened to withdraw from the championships after a tiff with their national association (PBSI).
“It is great that we made it to the championships. Now that we are here, we only have one aim – to win the title.”
The other quarter-final matches will be between China and Denmark pairs.
Defending champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, who are looking impressive, will take on Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen while Guo Zhengsong-Xu Chen will play against All-England champions Lars Paaske-Jonas Ras­mus­sen.
RESULTS
THIRD ROUND
Men’s singles: Kazushi Yamada (Jpn) bt Dicky Palyama (Ned) 14-21, 21-19, 21-11; Peter-Gade Chris­tensen (Den) bt Marc Zwiebler (Ger) 21-14, 21-15; Hsueh Yi-hsuan (Tpe) bt Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) 21-13, 21-11; Lin Dan (Chn) bt Bao Chunlai (Chn) 21-16, 21-13; Chen Jin (Chn) bt Ashton Chen (Sin) 21-17, 21-10; Taufik Hidayat (Ina) bt Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (Tha) 21-8, 21-14; Park Sung-hwan (Kor) bt Nguyen Tien Minh (Vie) 21-15, 21-14; Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Rajiv Ouseph (Eng) 21-9, 21-9.
Men’s doubles: Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen (Chn) bt Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang (Tpe) 21-23, 21-18, 21-18; Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) bt Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan (Ina) 21-12, 21-9; Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) bt Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson (Eng) 21-6, 21-9; Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu (Tpe) bt Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata (Jpn) 21-19, 21-12; Mathias Boe-Cartsen Mogensen (Den) bt Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor) 21-13, 21-16; Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) bt Chai Biao-Zhang Nan (Chn) 21-17, 21-17; Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung (Kor) bt Hendri Kurniawan Saputra-Hendra Wijaya (Sin) 21-14, 21-8; Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen (Den) bt Rupesh Kumar-Sanave Thomas (Ind) 21-16, 21-16.
Women’s singles: Tine Baun (Den) bt Petya Nedelcheva (Bul) 21-19, 23-21; Wang Lin (Chn) bt Yip Pui Yin (Hkg) 21-13, 21-17; Eriko Hirose Jpn) bt Wang Yihan (Chn) 20-22, 21-16, 21-18; Wang Xin (Chn) bt Ai Goto (Jpn) 21-13, 21-13; Saina Nehwal (Ind) bt Ella Diehl (Rus) 21-14, 21-18; Wang Shixian (Chn) bt Yao Jie (Ned) 21-13, 21-5; Pi Hongyan (Fra) by Kim Moon-hi (Kor) 16-21, 21-15, 21-14.
Women’s doubles: Pan Pan-Tian Qing (Chn) bt Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa (Jpn) 21-18, 21-9; Hyun Young-yoo-Jung Kyung-eun (Kor) bt Valeria Sorokina-Nina Vislova (Rus) 13-21, 21-19, 26-24; Du Jing-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Shizuka Matsuo-Mami Naito (Jpn) 21-10, 21-10; Cheng Shu-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) bt Duang Anong Aroonkesorn-V. Kunchala (Tha) 21-13, 21-11; Ha Jung-eun-Kim Jung-min (Kor) bt Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa (Ind) 21-14, 21-15; Maeda Miyuki-Satoko Suetsuna (Jpn) bt Petya Nedelcheva-Anastasia Russkikh (Bul-Rus) 21-12, 21-15; Ma Jin-Wang Xiaoli (Chn) bt Shinta Mulia Sari-Yao Lei (Sin) 21-9, 21-14.
Mixed doubles: Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir (Ina) bt Yoo Yeon-seong-Kim Min-jung (Kor) 21-17, 13-21, 21-19; Ko Sung-hyun-Ha Jung-eun (Kor) bt Joachim Fisher Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) 21-13, 13-21, 21-19; Lee Sheng-mu-Chien Yu-chien (Tpe) bt Lee Yong-dae-Lee Hyo-jung (Kor) 21-17, 22-20; Zheng Bo-Ma Jin (Chn) bt Sudket Prapakamol-T. Saralee (Tha) 21-19, 21-15; V. Diju-Jwala Gutta (Ind) bt Chayut Triyachart-Yao Lei (Sin) 14-21, 21-18, 21-14; He Hanbin-Yu Yang (Chn) bt A. Songphon-V. Kunchala (Tha) 21-14, 21-13; Thomas Laybourn-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) bt Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork (Eng) 20-22, 21-12, 21-18; Tao Jiaming-Zhang Yawen (Chn) bt Hendra Gunawan-Vita Marissa (Ina) 21-16, 15-10 (rtd).

SHUTTLERS Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Wong Mew Choo will train under different coaches after the world championships but they have set a common goal.
Both are determined to lift their waning status in the national team by doing well in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October.
Hafiz, who will leave coach Hendrawan to return under the wings of Misbun Sidek next month, has a special wish.
“I want to set up a match against Lee Chong Wei once again at the Commonwealth Games but this time I want the meeting to be in the final,” he said.
In the world championships, the luck of the draw pitted Hafiz against Chong Wei in the second round and, as expected, he was the loser.
“I was satisfied with the way I played but it was sad to lose in the second round. I may have gone further if I did not meet Chong Wei,” said Hafiz.
The 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games gold medallist is now ready to put behind the disappointment and work towards reaching the final again in New Delhi. Under Misbun’s charge, he will spar with Chong Wei.
“My mission is to make it an all-Malaysian final in New Delhi. I intend to keep my place in the national team until a youngster can challenge me strongly. So far, there has been none,” he said.
Mew Choo, who will leave Misbun to train under Wong Tat Meng, said that she had learnt from her third-round defeat by Ella Diehl of Russia.
Mew Choo, who was beaten 21-11, 15-21, 12-21 by Diehl, will aim to win a first individual gold medal in the Commonwealth Games.
“I want to go one step better in New Delhi,” said the Malaysian, who lost to Tracey Hallam of England in the final of the 2006 Games in Melbourne.
“I am still inconsistent. Sometimes, I am physically good but my tactical game let me down. Other times, I am physically unfit. I have to strike a balance,” she said.
“I am not giving up my place in the national team as I believe I can still take my game to a higher level under Tat Meng.”

DENMARK’s Peter Gade-Christensen is the luckiest man. China’s Lin Dan is the hot favourite. And Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei has a chance.
This is Indonesian Taufik Hidayat’s assessment on the contenders for the world championship men’s singles title. And where does this leave the former world champion?
“I am not the favourite here. In fact, I will not lose sleep if I do not go far. My goal this year is the Asian Games (in Guangzhou in November). I want to defend my title there,” said Taufik.
The 2006 Asian Games champion said that Christensen has the best chance to go into the final following the withdrawal of Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
“It’s unfortunate that Sony is down with a back injury. I do not think Peter could have asked for more. He has one of the less challenging path to the final,” said Taufik.
The others in the same half of the draw with second seed Christensen are South Korean Shon Wan-ho, Indonesian Simon Santoso, China’s Chen Jin and Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana.
The 33-year-old Christensen is hoping to become only the third Dane to win the world title after Flemming Delfs (1977, Malmo) and Peter Rasmussen (1997, Glasgow).
Fifth seed Taufik is in the other half of the draw with top seed Chong Wei, third seed Lin Dan, Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark, Bao Chunlai of China and Park Sung-hwan of South Korea.
“It is really quite heavy at the top. Lin Dan is the favourite but I am sure Chong Wei will not give in easily this time,” he said.
Taufik, who has Taiwan’s Hsieh Yu-hsin in his path in the second round, may play against Chong Wei in the quarter-finals.
On why he chose to give the Asian Games more preference than the world championships, the 2005 world champion said: “It is not that I do not have the desire to win the world title again. I just feel that hosting the world championships every year except for the Olympic year is a big mistake.
“It takes the prestige away. Lin Dan may win the world title again this year but I will not look at it as a big achievement.
“Yang Yang (of China) won it twice when the championships were a biennial affair and to me, that is even more meaningful. The Asian Games is held every four years and it will more prestigious to win that title.”
Taufik has been one of the strong advocates against the Badminton World Federation (BWF) move to host the world meet annually since 2005.
“It is not too late for the BWF to make it a prestigious event again. If not, players may in future even choose not to take part. Winning a world title just feels like winning another Open title,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are set to increase the cash reward for a world champion by thousands in ringgit.
But the lucrative incentive will not be the only driving factor for world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei in his mission to make a breakthrough in a fifth appearance in the world championships beginning on Monday.
The All-England champion left for to Paris yesterday together with coaches Misbun Sidek and Rexy Mainaky with a big hope of creating a piece of history for Malaysia.
“Money is a good motivation for a player. But for me, it is different for this world championships. It is all about honour and making history,” said Chong Wei.
“It is still difficult to comprehend why Malaysia have not had champions in the championship history thus far.
“I do not want to be branded the unlucky man when it comes to the world championships. I know that there are high expectations on me. I will give my best and try to become a world champion this time.”
Currently, the BAM offer a RM30,000 bonus to a world champion.
With a decision by the national body to hand out more for successes in major tournaments under an ongoing review of their incentive scheme, it is learnt that a world champion may draw not less than RM50,000.
This is in addition to what the National Sports Council (NSC) offer – RM40,000 under their scheme. The amount was more but it was reduced after the World Badminton Federation (BWF) made the championships an annual affair from 2005.
The government, however, may choose to give more to a first winner. They have set a precedent by awarding a one-off reward of RM20,000 to Chong Wei for winning the 100th edition of the All-England title in March even though Open tournaments are not under their incentive scheme.
The 28-year-old Chong Wei said that he did not want to count the chickens before they were hatched and preferred to stay focused on the task at hand.
On how prepared he was to face three-time champion Lin Dan of China, he said: “I am not going to look that far just yet. It is all about getting it right in the early rounds.
“I am sure that there will be rewards if I win. But first, let’s take it one step at a time. I am happy with my preparations at home with Misbun. I had the sparring partners to help me to fine tune my game.”
Top seed Chong Wei is drawn to play against Lin Dan in the semi-finals. The other players in the half of the draw are compatriot Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, Indonesian Taufik Hidayat, Japanese Kenichi Tago, Chinese Bao Chunlai and South Korean Park Sung-hwan.
The other half has second seed Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark, Chen Jin of China, Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand and Indonesians Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.
Chong Wei’s best result in the series was a semi-final appearance in his debut at the United States in 2005. He was the quarter-finalist in 2006 (Madrid) and 2009 (Hyderabad) and made it to the third round in 2007 (Kuala Lumpur).

KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran Wong Choong Hann holds the proud record of being the sole Malaysian to have finished as runner-up in the World Badminton Championships.
And now he’s hoping that world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will at least emulate his feat at the world meet, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
Choong Hann lost to China’s Xia Xuanze in the 2003 world meet final in Birmingham.
Choong Hann, who retired from the national team two years ago to become an independent player, knows that it will be difficult for him to reach the final again and that Chong Wei has the best chance to pull it off.
“Realistically, I am not setting any high expectations on myself. It will be a quite an uphill task for me,” said Choong Hann.
“Chong Wei is in better condition and will be the favourite and, hopefully, he will be able to live up to the tag.”
In order to clear the semi-finals, Chong Wei has to clear several tough obstacles, which may include Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat, Japan’s Tago Kenichi, South Korean Park Sung-hwan and China’s Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai.
Three-time champion Lin Dan will be his major stumbling block.
“It has been too long since we had a Malaysian in the final. I hope the long wait will be over this time,” he said.
Choong Hann, Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz Hashim are Malaysia’s three representatives for the World Championships and all are currently training at three different places.
Choong Hann trains at Sunsuria Pioneer Badminton Centre at Kota Damansara, which he owns with doubles shuttlers Lee Wan Wah, Chan Chong Ming and Chew Choon Eng.
All-England champion Chong Wei trains at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara while Hafiz is with the other World Championships-bound players at Bath University in England.
Although the odds are against Choong Hann in Paris, the player, known for his fight spirit, has promised to give it his all.
“The draw is not too bad for me. I will not give in too easily to anyone. I will give my best in every match,” said Choong Hann.
He has been drawn in the same half as second seed Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark, China’s Chen Jin and Indonesians Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.
Choong Hann’s first real test is expected to be against Japan’s Kazushi Yamada. If he makes it, he will most probably take on Sony in the third round.

PETALING JAYA: National doubles shuttler Koo Kien Keat (pic) is a food lover but he has vowed to watch what he eats ahead of the World Championships.
Top seeds Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong are Malaysia’s great hopes at the world meet, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
Kien Keat and Boon Heong are currently at Bath University in England with the other World Championships qualifiers, except for men’s singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei.
Kien Keat said that had always tried to enjoy the best of both worlds – giving best in badminton and taking the opportunity to try out local delicacies.
“I have a penchant for food. I travel extensively and I try all kinds of food. I love Asian food the best. I remember a noodle dish I had in Macau ... that probably was the best,” said Kien Keat
“I also like England and French cuisines.
“Some of their steaks are a delight. In fact, I enjoy watching Jamie Oliver’s cook shows during my free time. But I do not over-indulge.”
Kien Keat is so concerned about his food intake that he is cooking his own meals in Bath.
“Since I only take light meals now, I decided to cook myself. I am not taking any chances in the preparations for the world championships.
“As a badminton player, I know the importance of watching my weight.”
Kien Keat-Boon Heong have looked fitter in recent tournaments.
In fact, at the recent Taiwan Open, they showed improved physical strength en route to losing to South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung in the semi-final.
“Boon Heong and I have shed a few kilos. We are giving emphasis to our physical training programme. We hope this will give us an extra edge at the world meet,” said Kien Keat. The Malaysians are in the same quarter as China’s Chai Biao-Zhang Nan and South Korea’s Yong-dae-Jae-sung.
Both their probable opponents play fast and attacking games and the Malaysians will have to be physically ready to cope with them.

PETALING JAYA: National men’s doubles ace Tan Boon Heong aims to be third time lucky at the World Badminton Cham­pionships, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
Hopes are high on the 23-year-old Boon Heong and his partner Koo Kien Keat to live up to their top billing.
Boon Heong, of Kedah, is still rankled over the way they capitulated in the previous two outings – losing in the rubber games.
At the 2007 world meet in Kuala Lumpur, Boon Heong-Kien Keat went down 13-21, 21-17, 23-25 to Shuichi Sakamoto-Shintaro Ikeda of Japan in the quarter-finals.
Last year, a few crucial mistakes by Boon Heong in the rubber game saw them losing 21-16, 14-21, 20-22 to South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung in the semi-finals in India.
This time, he hopes they will rise to the occasion.
“To lose narrowly is really painful and I do not intend to go through it again,” said Boon Heong.
“Losing at my maiden world meet is understandable.
“But, at the second outing, we blew a golden chance to nick it. This time, I am determined to go all the way.”
Boon Heong, a former world junior champion with Hoon Thien How in 2004, said that the men’s doubles competition had grown more intense.
“It is getting tougher to win in the men’s doubles.
“You have to be really strong physically and mentally to go through. There is also the element of luck,” he said.
“Kien Keat and I are more confident of our game now.
“There are some areas we need to improve on.
“I think, if we can cut down on our mistakes, we have a chance of achieving good results in our third World Championships.”
The Malaysians are expected to take on China’s third ranked pair of Chai Biao-Zhang Nan in the third round.
Clear that and they will come face-to-face with their nemesis – Yong-dae-Jae-sung – in the quarter-finals.
Boon Heong-Kien Keat had a tough time before beating the Chinese in the semi-finals en route to winning the Malaysian Open this year.
And last week, they went down to Yong-dae-Jae-sung in a rubber game in the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open.
“Our closest battle with the Koreans was at last year’s world meet.
“They somehow have better finishing than us.
“This time, we hope to turn the tables on them if we meet them,” said Boon Heong.
Malaysia have reached the final of the men’s doubles only three times since the tournament’s inception in 1977 – Razif Sidek-Jalani Sidek (1987, Beijing), Cheah Soon Kit-Soo Beng Kiang (1993, Birmingham) and Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock (1997, Glasgow).

PETALING JAYA: National doubles shuttler Woon Khe Wei will replace Wong Pei Tty for the Commonwealth Games in India from Oct 3-14.
This means Khe Wei will be partnering Chin Eei Hui for the first time.
Pei Tty has been dropped for the Games following the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) decision to get her to undergo surgery for her knee injury. She is expected to make a comeback when the 2012 London Olympic Games qualifying period begins in May.
National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky described Khe Wei as “a suitable replacement”.
“We have named Khe Wei and her regular partner Vivian Hoo as the reserve. Khe Wei seems to be the ideal one to team up with Eei Hui,” said Rexy.
Khe Wei did well last year when she combined with Ng Hui Lin to win a crucial point in the doubles that saw Malaysia lifting the women’s team title for the first time at the SEA Games in Laos.
Despite Eei Hui-Khe Wei featuring as a scratch pair, Malaysia still have a fighting chance to go for a gold medal at the Games.
Their main challengers will be Singapore’s world No. 9 pair Shinta Mulia Sari-Yao Lei. The Singaporeans did well this year when they defied the odds to win the Singapore Open and the India Open Grand Prix Gold.
The other challengers are India’s Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa (world No. 18) and England’s Jenny Wallwork-Gabrielle White (world No. 20).

KUALA LUMPUR: Watching juniors in action yesterday brought back fond memories and sparked off new inspirations for world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei ahead of the world championships, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
Chong Wei took time off to watch the final between his home state, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur in the national junior inter-state mixed team championships at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara.
Penang lost the tie 3-6 but the fighting display by the youngsters throughout the competition reminded him of his junior days a decade ago and his childhood dream to become a world champion for Malaysia one day.
“I sat there watching these youngsters (from the VIP stand) and it brought back a gush of warm memories of my junior days. Like them, I never knew the meaning of tiredness,” said Chong Wei, who attended the event as the 100Plus brand ambassador.
“Then, I was driven by one thing – an ambition to be the world champion. This dream has not become a reality yet but it had not dimmed either.
“I did not live up to the expectations at the world championships in India (2009) and Kuala Lumpur (2010). I do not want to be unlucky again. I think this is my best time to pull it off. I am in best condition and I think, my desire to get it right is greater than ever.”
The 28-year-old, who succeeded in winning the All-England for the first time this year, hoped that the country’s juniors would never give up.
“I hope some of the juniors here will be able to take over my place. There is no easy way to make it to the top,” he said.
“They have inspired me today in a special way. And this will be an extra motivation for me as I head for the world championships.”
Today, Chong Wei will get to know his hurdles in the world championships today when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announce the draw.
The three seeded players behing him are Peter Gade-Christensen of Denmark and China’s Lin Dan and Chen Jin respectively. Chong Wei and Gade-Christensen will be separated and the two Chinese players will be drawn into the two halves.
And most players would not want to be in a half which has Lin Dan, who is gunning for a fourth world title.
“At the world stage, playing against anyone is a challenge. I need to be ready to face anyone at any stage,” said Chong Wei.
“The next two weeks will be crucial for me and I want to be focused in my preparation for the championships.”
Chong Wei, who has won six titles thus year so far, will be leaving the country on Wednesday for centralised training at the Bath University in England from Aug 12-20 together with team-mates Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Wong Mew Choo, Lydia Cheah and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying.
The other Malaysians for the world championships are independent players and they will leave later. They are Wong Choong Hann, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen will leave later.

KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Chong Wei is probably the unluckiest top seed in the world championships, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
In the draw made by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) at a click of a button yesterday, the world No. 1 found himself on a path full of land mines.
The players in his half of the draw are China’s Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai, Indonesian Taufik Hidayat. South Korean Park Sung-hwan, Dane Jan O Jorgensen and Japanese Kenichi Tago.
And to make it even more disheartening for Malaysia, Chong Wei may play against compatriot Mohd Hafiz Hashim in the second round. He has an opening round match against Kevin Gordon of Guatemala in a quarter of a draw, which has Jorgensen, Taufik and Tago.
The other quarter of the draw has his bogeyman and three-time champion Lin Dan, Chunlai and Sung-hwan.
It will not be easy too for Lin Dan to reach the semi-finals. He lost to Chunlai in the All-England quarter-finals in March and had found Sung-hwan a tough nut to crack in several occasions.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary, Ng Chin Chai, who was present at the draw ceremony at the Park Royal Hotel here, said: “Chong Wei is our best bet for a world title but unfortunately, he has one of the toughest draws.
“It’s quite heavy at the top. Lin Dan will be Chong Wei’s toughest challenge. But we hope that he will also not overlook all those early threats on his way to make at least the semi-finals. We hope that Chong Wei will give his best.”
The BWF chief operating officer, Thomas Lund, said that his fellow countryman and second seed Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark should be smiling from ear-to-ear on learning a draw in the company of China’s Chen Jin, Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana and Indonesians Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.
“No doubt it looks to be more equal in the lower half compared to the top. Peter has beaten all the seeded players in his half. It will not be easy when you have these strong characters – Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Taufik – in the same half,” he said.
“Peter has been playing well and it could be a good outing for him if he can take his chances well. Indeed, it will be an exciting men’s singles affair in Paris.”
The other Malaysian in the men’s singles competition, veteran Wong Choong Hann, is in the same quarter as Sony and it will be tough for the 2003 runner-up to go beyond the early rounds.
Ironically, Choong Hann is only Malaysia singles player to ever reach a world championship final. Then in Birmingham, he lost to Xia Xuanze of China.