SHAH ALAM — Despite their opening-day victory against Brunei at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships, Rexy Mainaky is steadfast in his commitment to fortifying his team’s mental resilience for further advancement in the tournament.
The national men’s team, comprising Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, Eugene Ewe Eon, Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri, and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, delivered a commanding 5-0 victory over Brunei in their first group match held at Setia City Convention Centre yesterday.
The national badminton coaching director expressed confidence in his team’s performance against Brunei while emphasising the need to sustain motivation for upcoming challenges against Kazakhstan (today) and Chinese Taipei (Thursday).
“Our victory against Brunei was anticipated given their limited international experience. I think our players also realised that and only gave 60% to 70% of their performance,” Rexy said when met after the match.
Looking ahead to the encounter with Kazakhstan, Rexy highlighted the threat posed by their top player, underscoring the team’s determination to secure another decisive win.
“As we face Kazakhstan, we noticed that their first singles player, Dmitriy Panarin, is good, and I have been following his performances for a long time.
“We are still pushing our players to stay focused on achieving our goal of winning with a 5-0 result. We want to make sure that we are on the right track and give our best against them,” he added.
Anticipation is high for the clash against Chinese Taipei, with Rexy stressing the importance of mental readiness against a similarly competitive opponent.
“We are also looking forward to our final group match against Chinese Taipei. I think their side looks similar to ours. We have to prepare well.
“Mostly, it’s not about the technique or what we will do against them, but about how we manage the mental state of our athletes.
“I expect the players to focus and have hunger on the court against a formidable side like Chinese Taipei,” said Rexy.
Akademi Badminton Malaysia has set a semi-final target for the national squad, buoyed by past successes like the men’s team’s triumph in 2022.
Additionally, the women’s team earned their spot in the Uber Cup Finals through merit, having reached the semi-finals.
The Malaysian men’s team will take on Kazakhstan in their second group-stage match later today, with qualification for the Thomas Cup finals in China at stake for the top four teams. – February 14, 2024
