KUALA LUMPUR – Unlike the other four disciplines in badminton, Malaysia has seen very little success in the women’s singles.
In fact, since badminton debuted as a medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and before the Paris Games this year, only four Malaysian players – Chan Chia Fong, Datin Wong Mew Choo, Tee Jing Yi and Soniia Cheah – have qualified for the women’s singles.
Excluding two-time former world junior champion Goh Jin Wei, who will make her debut in France this month, Mew Choo remains the only Malaysian women’s singles player to reach as far as the quarter-finals, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
So why has Malaysia been unable to produce top-level women’s singles players? What is the underlying issue?
Olympian Soniia believes the problem lies in the development of young female shuttlers at the grassroots level.
The former international, whose career was cut short due to a serious Achilles tendon injury, said Malaysia’s junior female shuttlers were not toughened enough, especially when compared to those from powerhouses like China, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia.
The 31-year-old, who now runs her own badminton academy as well as a coffee business, highlighted the importance of introducing sports science to female athletes from a very young age.
“I believe we need to start at the grassroots, focusing on building a strong foundation. This includes improving technical skills and physical fitness.
“Personally, I feel that our foundation doesn’t measure up to that of other top countries. Mastering the basics requires patience; we shouldn’t chase immediate success,” Soniia told Scoop.
Soniia, whose career-threatening injury occurred during training in 2013, retired two years ago due to persistent pain from the injury, which required several surgeries over the years.
Despite setbacks, Soniia persisted and competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Reflecting on what the Olympics meant to her and offering advice to her former teammate Jin Wei, who has also faced medical challenges over the years, Soniia added: “Playing at the Olympics is every athlete’s dream. It meant everything to me. I sacrificed so much, even my education, just to compete at the Olympics.
“My advice to Jin Wei is to go out there and give it your all. There’s nothing to lose.
“I thank God for giving me the opportunity. Only I know how many painkillers I took daily to achieve my dream.”
For this year’s Olympics women’s singles competition, Jin Wei has been placed in Group H alongside South Korea’s Kim Ga-eun and South Africa’s Johanita Scholtz.
Only the top players from the 13 groups will advance to the knockout stage.
The Olympics badminton competition begins on July 27 at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris. – July 18, 2024
