The Star Online > Sports Tuesday August 31, 2010 Still room for Kien Keat-Boon Heong to grow KOO Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong have brought back some fresh hope in Malaysian men’s doubles badminton with their efforts in the world championships. They failed to win the title but they showed that there was still room for them to grow after staging a great fight before losing 21-18, 18-21, 14-21 to China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng in the final. They were courageous and showed great determination. But they were glaringly lacking in consistency and confidence to end the race well. Kien Keat-Boon Heong will have to work on these shortcomings and get them right for the defence of the Asian Games title in Guangzhou in November and also the other major tournaments lined up for them for the next two years. On Sunday, Kien Keat-Boon Heong had to settle for the silver and it was the fourth runners-up finish in the men’s doubles for Malaysia since the world championships were introduced in 1977. En route to the final, they did well to beat South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung and two Chinese pairs, Chai Biao-Zhang Nan and Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen. National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky said that the future was bright for Kien Keat-Boon Heong. “I was most pleased with the determination showed by them. We will add more quality in their training to make them stronger,” he said. “They have the chance to go one step better in the world championships in London next year. And their ultimate goal is the 2012 London Olympics. “They have the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games coming up and we want them to excel. We will continue to help them to stay focused.” Rexy said that the men’s doubles competition was still wide open and it would be his challenge to help Kien Keat-Boon Heong break away from the pack. “Surely, Cai Yun-Haifeng, Yong-dae-Jae-sung and Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan are their main challengers. But some of them are not very young and I don’t see them being there for a long time,” he said. “I am more worried about the second stringers coming through from South Korea and China. We will have to be wary of them.” Rexy also promised to do his best to raise the standard of more pairs to support Kien Keat-Boon Heong. “I want more Malaysian pairs in the next world championships. In order to do that, we have to send them out to improve on their world rankings. “But first, they have to prove that they are good enough for the competitions,” he said. Rexy also thanked all parties involved in the transformation of Kien Keat-Boon Heong into a more spirited pair. National coach Pang Cheh Chang, who took charge of the pair for the last three months, for instance, worked closely with National Sports Institute (NSI) physical trainer Behrad Honar to raise their physical fitness. The 10-day training stint at the Bath University in England, an initiative by NSI, also helped the duo stay focused on the tasks ahead. The next major competition for Kien Keat-Boon Heong is the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October. Boon Heong will be making his debut in the Games while Kien Keat was a gold medallist with Chan Chong Ming in the 2006 edition in Melbourne. http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2010/8/31/sports/6947922.asp&sec=sports
The Star Online > Sports Tuesday August 31, 2010 World No. 1 pair set sights on retaining Asiad title A FOUR-year cycle is coming to an end for Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong since their first-ever major success on the international stage at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. And Kien Keat hopes to complete their up and down journey on a good note by retaining the Asiad title in Guangzhou in November. At the 2006 Games, Kien Keat-Boon Heong became the first Malaysian pair in 36 years to win gold at the Asiad. The breakthrough saw them dominating men’s doubles competitions and they went undefeated for almost six months. They also ended a 24-year drought of a men’s doubles title for Malaysia at the prestigious All-England in 2007. In their latest outing at the world championships, they became the first Malaysian pair in 13 years to reach the final. But they fell short to become the first-ever Malaysian winners in the series, losing 21-18, 18-21, 14-21 to Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng of China. Kien Keat said that he had come a long way with Boon Heong. “It has been a great journey for Boon Heong and I. There have been ups and downs,” he said. “We began our journey very well and got lost somewhere along the way. But now, we are getting back to the top again. “At this stage, it’s all about confidence for us. I think we lost to the Chinese because they were more confident than us, especially in the third game. “They were more daring to play the attacking game while we held back. “Overall, it was a good outing for us in Paris. “Boon Heong and I learnt to trust each other better.” Kien Keat added that they would be selective in tournaments they play in a bid to peak for several major events. “We will focus more on our preparations at home to be ready for big tournaments,” he said. “It has been almost four years now since we won the Asian Games gold medal. “We want to retain it and before that we also want to help the country win gold medals in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (in October).” http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2010/8/31/sports/6948042.asp&sec=sports
Has CY/FHF peaked at the WC, or are they still improving? Will JJS/LYD be back? Kido/Setiawan have been going downhill especially Kido so I don't think they can challenge for the AG. But I still rate KKK/TBH as having an even chance to take this WC with the rest of the top 4 MD.
A repeated WC10 final at JO10. KKK/TBH start the 1st game superbly, lost the 2nd game with respected scoreline, and being humiliated by CY/FHF in the deciding match. Where's Rexy?
Yes, good question....where's Rexy...? Where is the stamina they suppose to have for them to last the rubber...? Where is the varieties of serves a world class player shd have...? Where is the ability to pound hard smashes when your opponent serve high ...? Where is the agility a double player shd have in our players...? When KKK going to lose some more weight....?
you people are great kkk/tbh lost you all bang on rexy why don't you all find his telephone number and call him i think he will answer you
LOL, they all always like this one, no need get too emotional abt it. Rexy didnt go Japan but going India for Commonwealth me thinks.
please read all the posts on this page. if you can't find it, go to another page i am sure you will find it. if you still can't find it then call me a liar and i will show you!
i know why you said those few lines, you are as pissed off as the rest of us for kkk/tbh lost again to the same pair and with similar results. but we can't call rexy's name for that, tell me which coach would love their players to lost and i will send you roses..
minus the '!' and '?' i think there was an intention for asking where is rexy and whoever ask for rexy wasn't precise, he could have asked him for a date or to complain. where were you?
I mean the criticism in general, every time critic critic only, whether win or lose title. Not necessarily you but sure lah will have someone(Msia fan not jia you fan). Got uphill, downhill, etc thread, been happening past 3 years. My reply was also to answer the question & ask everyone pls cool it
