Kien Keat has inked the word glory on his arm to remind him of mission in Beijing

KUALA LUMPUR: National doubles specialist Koo Kien Keat has a scar on his right hand – no thanks to a freak accident last month.

Now, there’s another 'scar’ on his left hand – a tattoo with the world “glory” – to remind him to fight against the odds and win honours for the country at the Beijing Olympic Games.

The stylish Kien Keat will be featuring in his first Olympic Games with Tan Boon Heong and hopes are high that the duo can make a difference for Malaysia in the men’s doubles event.

Kien Keat said that he tattooed the word “glory” on the inside of his upper left hand to motivate himself to stand up to the tough challenges ahead in the Olympics.

“I put a lot of thought in choosing this word – glory. Right now, I want glory more than money or anything else,” said Kien Keat after a training session at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday.

“Some people may look at this negatively and may even tease me if I do not bring back glory to the country. But to me, this word will remind me not to give up under any circumstances.”

This year has not really been smooth sailing for the 23-year-old Kien Keat.

He and Boon Heong failed to defend three major titles this year – in the Malaysian Open, All-England and Swiss Open.

Their partnership also hit a rocky patch for a while.

And last month, his Olympic dream was almost shattered when he suffered injuries to his right hand and right leg after a glass panel he was leaning on gave away at Bukit Jalil.

Though his injuries have healed completely, there is a scar on his hand that serves as a reminder of the ugly incident.

“I am happy that things are back in order for me,” he said.

“The last two weeks have been great for Boon Heong and me. My coach (Rexy Mainaky) has been very supportive. Whenever we are down, Rexy is always there to lift us up with encouraging words.”

The Olympic Games’ first round draw for the men’s doubles has thrown up some interesting match-ups.

And Kien Keat has promised to give his best with Boon Heong when they take on Japan’s Shuichi Sakamoto-Shintaro Ikeda in the first round.

The Malaysians have lost to the Japanese pair in their last two meetings.

Besides the 2006 Asian Games gold medallists Kien Keat-Boon Heong, the other Malaysian doubles representatives are Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah.

Malaysia have won three medals in the Olympic series thus far – all from badminton. The medallists are Razif-Jalani Sidek (doubles bronze at Barcelona 1992), Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock (doubles silver at Atlanta 1996 Atlanta) and Rashid Sidek (singles bronze at Atlanta 1996).

The Star