Malaysian shuttlers have made the country proud again.
The men’s pair of Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong, who bagged a silver for Malaysia in the 2016 Rio Olympics, has officially been named as the world number 1 in the men’s double category by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
This came after the retirement of South Korea’s Lee Yong Dae, who was the former number 1 pair along with his partner Yoo Yeon Seong. Lee announced his retirement after the Olympics, but the pair’s removal from the list was only made official yesterday (Thursday, 10th November).
When contacted by New Straits Time, Goh, who posted a photo of the updated rankings on his social media, said, “I am extremely happy because I only got to know about this when I checked the list this morning. We were hoping to end the year on a high, but I did not expect it to happen this soon, especially since we still have the China and Hong Kong Opens to play in. As for now, Wee Kiong and I will remain focused on maintaining our consistency and continue to give our best.”
Last month, the Malaysian pair achieved a milestone in their careers – by obtaining the number 1 spot in the Superseries standings list. This means that they’ll be the top seed at the BWF World Superseries Finals that will be held in Dubai from 14th to 18th December.
After the Olympics, the Goh – Tan pair also made an appearance in the Denmark and French Opens, and will join the China Open (15th November – 20th November) and Hong Kong Super Series (22nd November – 27th November).
Source: New Straits Times.
