Kuala Lumpur: Even though they were one win away from the Thailand Open men’s doubles crown, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong’s runner-up finish in Bangkok has given them a major boost to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.
The pair’s performance definitely caught the eye of technical director for the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Morten Frost.
“Although they didn’t win the championship, but they performed really well at Thailand Open, especially defeated SEA Games champions Angga Pratama/Ricky Karanda Suwardi in the semi-finals. They are a step closer to Olympics,” said Frost.
Their current coach Lee Wan Wah was satisfied at the way they played in Bangkok, and was confident of Koo/Tan’s qualifying for Olympics.
“If they can train more systematically, play with greater determination and winning desire, I believe they have a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio,” said Wan Wah.
Malaysia’s former national chief coach and top men’s doubles player Yap Kim Hock, also gave praise to Koo/Tan and acknowledged that they have “better quality”.
“Although Kien Keat already 30-year-old, but they still have the quality to be successful. Their performance will give pressure to men’s pair from Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) such as Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong to perform well in their upcoming tournaments,” said Yap.
