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KUALA LUMPUR – With rising star Ng Tze Yong displaying an astounding performance during the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it is evident that Malaysia need not rely solely on world number 5 Lee Zii Jia to carry the nation’s badminton hopes.
Former national shuttler Ong Ewe Hock told The Vibes that Tze Yong has proved that Zii Jia is not Malaysia’s sole pillar of hope in the men’s singles.
Ewe Hock said having multiple world-class players in the roster would be beneficial to Malaysia’s overall performance in future tournaments.
The more the merrier. We should have at least five good singles players at any given time. This way, if our top player (Zii Jia) cannot perform or pulls out, we have others that can step up and take over.”
When asked about 22-year-old Tze Yong’s performance in Birmingham, Ewe Hock said the achievement is proof that the youngster has what it takes to climb up the ranks.
“For a player that is not yet well-known on the international stage and called in to represent Malaysia at the last minute without a set target, it is a particularly good result for him to make it all the way to the final.
“The only thing he needs now is more exposure and to train harder. The standard of international badminton is so high nowadays, but he has what it takes to climb the ranks and be among the best,” he said.
Tze Yong will also follow Zii Jia to Tokyo for the World Championships, scheduled to be held from August 21 to 28, after he was invited following Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito’s withdrawal due to injury.
For Zii Jia, Ewe Hock said he hopes the nation’s top shuttler will bring his A-game to Tokyo since he sat out the Commonwealth Games to rest before the World Championships.
Meanwhile, badminton legend Datuk James Selvaraj said if Zii Jia had joined the Malaysian contingent at Birmingham, the gold medal would have been his for the taking.
“If a lower-ranked player like Tze Yong can make it all the way to the finals, then it would have been a walk in the park for Zii Jia.
But since he sat out the games to rest for the World Championships, there is no excuse for him to not do well later,” he told The Vibes.
James said although Tze Yong bagged silver, he did make mistakes that the coaching staff needs to pay attention to moving forward.
“He did make some glaring mistakes during the games. The coaches now have to look at it to identify his weaknesses and build up his strength during the recovery period,” he added. – The Vibes, August 10, 2022