COPENHAGEN: The badminton World Championships came to an end today with Malaysia settling for one bronze, through last year's champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
Despite a slow start in the opening round, the world No 4 men's doubles stepped on the gas, and in the end gave Malaysian fans something to cheer about in Copenhagen.
Two other pairs, 2022 French Open champions Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, and fast rising mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, also reached the quarter-finals on Friday, but that was as far as they got.
Some fans would disagree, but in general, the other Malaysian shuttlers still have some way to go before they can even start challenging for titles at major events.
In the men's singles, national shuttler Ng Tze Yong continued to show promise, but a lack of consistency and the finishing edge to his game still stick out like a sore thumb.
On paper, the 23-year-old might just earn a spot in next year's Paris Olympics, but is he good enough to medal in a field consisting the likes of Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Japan's Kodai Naraoka, India's H.S. Prannoy, or even Denmark's Viktor Axelsen?
Then there is Lee Zii Jia, the blue-eyed boy of Malaysian badminton, who once again failed to live up to the hype surrounding him and his professional Team LZJ setup.
Zii Jia, who showed signs of resurgence in the first two rounds, lost in straight games to Antonsen in the third round.
The arguments on social media are seriously growing old. Fans continue to cry "come back stronger", or blame the press for not being encouraging enough, but really, for how long more?
Do we wait until Carolina Marin of Spain wins her fourth world crown? Or when Thailand and Japan start producing more junior champions who can sustain the same kind of class into their senior careers?
Will the top officials and the Youth and Sports Ministry's Road to Gold (RTG) programme continue to bend over backwards for under performing athletes?
Enough of pampering. It's time to wake up and smell reality, because time waits for no one.
Lose the term "badminton powerhouse", because in this day and age, there are no favourites.
Those with monster mentalities and strong physical endurance are the ones who will prevail in the end.
With the Olympic qualifiers in full swing, the World Tour circuit will resume with the China Open on Sept 5-10, but the next big one for the Malaysian camp will be the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept 23-Oct 8. - NST
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