i hope you have seen them play on video or something. because here in indonesia when talking about doubles, ricky-rexy is the legend although we have 6 time ae champion tjun tjun/johan w and the upcoming legend C/S or even toni gunawan. it's not their fault that no one was outstanding during their time . in many badminton commentarries (in indonesia)coaches had repeatedly said that in donesian md is not asgood as it was at R/R time, we're going downhill and only C/S could come close to them. how i love to see Ricky's ligthning serve. it's ok if u stick to your opinion after this . just making my point here thx
My vote goes to Ricky/Rexy too. Park Joo Bong was the best, but too bad his partner (except Kim Dong Moon) was always 1 level below and always being picked on, same to Kim Dong Moon. Li/Tian were known for their toughness only. Ricky/Rexy had no weakness - great defense and offense.
My vote goes to Indonesian MD Teams, but there is a best team in each era. mid 70s to mid 80s tjun tjun/johan mid 80s to mid 90s ricky/rexy mid 90s till now Chandra/Gunawan then Chandra/Sigit Overall best is tjun tjun/johan , believe majority of the team studies and follows their style from then on.
as mentioned b4, ricky/rexy is definitely among the best pair that stepped on badminton court. their title record is fantastic. seen many of their matches, and their main strengths include speed and power. i am sure park jb/kim ms on top form can beat ricky/rexy on top form. Park is has most complete skills set, with intelligent mind and high mental strength. in fact, think he was nicknamed "the professor"
I remember watching the 19?? olympic XD final match Park/Ra vs Kim Dong Mon/???. The commentator said Park was Kim's mentor. If so, he really deserves the "professor" title.
Ricky/Rexy I have seen videos of R/R, they are really amazing. However, it seems they peak in a kind of short period. In the early 90s they are not super yet (say beaten by Cheah/Soo in the Thomas cup), then after 96 Olympic they seem to be passed by Candra/Sigit. Then in the 00 Olympic they lost quite easily (judging from the score). So R/R really just peaked around 95. Compare to Park/Kim, they were frequent Champion taker from at least 85 - 92, (judging from Park's form in 96, they should still stay in the top if they continue after 93); also Candra/Sigit, WC of 97, and still the No.1 pair now, almost 10 years later. Is R/R just unlucky to be between two generations of great MD players? btw, I don't think R/R do not have great opponents. Cheah/Yap is a top pair by any standard. They are like Lee/Yoo, always runner-ups. Hehe.
Kim is paired with Gil Young-ah, a great Korean WD. I think it is her fighting spirit that determined that game. Technically Park/Ra is superior. And Park's ability to place the birdie precisely at anywhere on the court is really out of this world. As can be seen in this Olympic game or the 96 Thomas game against Antonius/Kantono, or some earlier XD games played with Chung MH.
I added a poll to this thread out of interest. I have put all those mentioned in the thread so far, with the exception of sidek bros (ants do you really think they are the best? ) and Kim and Park, since to my knowledge they only played a couple of matches together,and not in major individual tournaments. Also added DEN pair, as they have had good record recently, and have longevity (but I didn't vote for them)
I choose Kim/Park instead of Candra/Sigit. IMHO, Park/Kim were almost invincible at their time but Candra/Sigit were beaten by many double pairs before.
Actually I think Tony might would take it. Both are technically superb, Kim having the height advantage. However, Tony's character is stronger and more independent. I find Kim is more dependant on his partner for motivation and support. Ha, Park and Ra all gave him this.
kenot be among the top-lar. more like division 2. 1stly, adding up both pairs, titles won is significantly less compared to ricky/rexy or li yongbo/tian bingyi (the last great China MD)
The Sidek brothers shouldn't be left out in the poll.They were in the era of PJB/KMS and TBY/LYB.The Sidek brothers were simply awesome in their defence.I am sure Li Yong Bo would agree.
I watched the Olympic 1996 mens double final again. Soon Kit/Kim Hock are definitely among the top. They played well, superb defence from both and brilliant placement of shuttle from Yap but they couldn't manage last few crucial points well and lost in a close game 15-5,13-15,12-15. They really could match Ricky/Rexy's game and even won most of the time over the Indons after 1997.Just that they have the fate of being runner-up just like many other malaysian shuttlers, ie. Foo Kok Keong, so close in the final while leading but then scrumble at the last minute.
they may play well, but they are not winners. so just in division 2. and only champions can be considered among the best. other than skills, the champion must have the mental strength too. it is not FATE hahaa (u think dis is love story meh), simply malaysia is not strong badminton nation. malaysia only can claim famous during de semi-pro era and b4 China enter into world of badminton.
