SIBU, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Former national men’s doubles shuttler Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif hopes the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) will unearth new talent that can be groomed for bigger missions to realise the country’s hope of winning a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games (LA28).
Mohd Zakry, who used to pair up with Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari, said these backup shuttlers need to close the gap on the national seniors so that Malaysia will have a larger pool of players to select for international competitions.
“We are not asking these young players to be on par with the country’s top shuttlers like Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik straight away, but they must at least show improvement in every tournament they take part in,” he told Bernama.
He said that with LA28 still a good four years away, those competing in SUKMA 2024 could be the ones to help Malaysia get the coveted first Olympic gold.
“It is a long time, actually… take mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, for example. In just a year or two, they have already made quite a big impact.
“We need fresh new faces. Meaning, the next four years should be sufficient to prepare the players. One year for them to reach maturity; one year to gain experience; and the rest is for them to maintain their momentum so that they will always be in peak form,” said Mohd Zakry, who used to be ranked fourth in the world with Mohd Fairuzizuan.
Asked if there are any players with the potential to be groomed into a top national doubles pair, Mohd Zakry immediately pointed to national badminton legend Datuk Razif Sidek’s son, Muhammad Fazriq, who is representing Federal Territories at SUKMA 2024.
“In addition, we also have young players under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), like Muhammad Haikal Nazri and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, who have already represented Malaysia on the international stage,” said Mohd Zakry, adding an assistant coach for the Universiti Malaya badminton team.
Among the titles Mohd Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan won included the 2008 Singapore Open, 2008 Indonesia Open, 2010 India Open and 2011 Taiwan Open.
-- BERNAMA
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