KUALA LUMPUR − National men’s doubles head coach Flandy Limpele is counting on Soh Wooi Yik to be like a “hungry tiger” when he competes in the All England Badminton Championships in Birmingham today.
He said Wooi Yik, who missed several training sessions and last week’s German Open after contracting Covid-19, was now in good shape and ready to put up a tough fight at the prestigious championships at the Utilita Arena Birmingham.
The Indonesian coach also urged Wooi Yik and his partner Aaron Chia to be mentally prepared to fight and give their best, irrespective of who their opponents are, if they want to win their first title in the Badminton World Federation World Tour.
“Wooi Yik and Aaron began training yesterday and I could see that Wooi Yik is in good shape. I hope he will be in better shape at the All England… be hungry as if he wants to ‘devour’ everyone (of his opponents),” Flandy said in a video clip shared by the Badminton Association of Malaysia with the media yesterday.
The fourth-seeded Aaron-Wooi Yik, who finished as runners-up in the 2019 edition, will begin their campaign this year against Russians Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Sozonov in the opening round.
In the second round, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists will meet the winners of the tie between compatriots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and China’s He Ji Ting-Tan Qiang.
Meanwhile, Flandy hopes that Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, who won the German Open men’s doubles title last week, will continue to perform with consistency in the coming competitions, including at the All England.
“They have many more back-to-back championships, so they must be focused. I must watch over them. Technically, I don’t think they have much problems but mentally, they have to be careful,” he explained.
Commenting on Man Wei Chong-Tee Wai Kun’s debut at the All England, Flandy hoped they would play as usual and not think about the status of their opponents when they take on world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the first round.
“I have discussed with them about playing without pressure, the need to change their mindset. (They have) nothing to lose, (the) pressure is on Hoki-Kobayashi. Once you are on the court, everyone has an equal chance of winning… just fight for it,” he said. – Bernama, March 16, 2022
