PUTRAJAYA – All is not lost yet for mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing in their hunt for a Paris Olympics 2024 slot although their world ranking has dropped to number 18, said former Olympics silver medallist Goh Liu Ying.
She said the professional pair just need to be consistent in several Badminton World Federation (BWF) world tour events to make the cut.
The Korean Open 2022 champions, who are in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, have hit a bad patch lately, causing their world ranking to plunge from number five in December last year to 18 now.
“The Olympics qualification period has not ended yet, so I think all three national pairs have an equal chance to qualify.
“Their (Kian Meng-Pei Jing’s) level of confidence must have dropped because they have yet to enter the quarterfinals this year.
“In this short period, they need to work to restore their top performance,” she told reporters after the launch of the first Professional 3v3 Badminton Championships in Malaysia here today.
The other two national pairs vying for Olympics qualification are world number 17 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and world number eight Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, who have also been included in the RTG programme.
A country can send a maximum of two pairs for the Olympics if both are among the top eight when the one-year qualifying period ends on April 28 next year.
Meanwhile, Liu Ying said Lee Zii Jia could not afford to rest for too long if he wants to qualify for the Olympics.
She said the All England 2021 champion should overcome his problems fast so that he can be back at his best.
Former doubles great Tan Boon Heong shared her view, saying Zii Jia can afford to skip only two or three tournaments if he wants to go to the Olympics.
Two days ago, after losing in the first round of the Indonesia Open, Zii Jia announced that he would be taking an indefinite break from tournaments until he has regained his passion for the game. – Bernama, June 16, 2023
