Kim Hock happy for his record to be eclipsed

THEIR record as the best Olympic performance for Malaysia thus far is under threat but badminton chief coach Yap Kim Hock, who achieved the silver-winning feat with Cheah Soon Kit in the 1996 Games, does not mind if it becomes a footnote in history.

At the Atlanta Olympics, Kim Hock-Soon Kit were beaten in the men's doubles runners-up to Indonesians Rexy Mainaky-Ricky Subagja.

And like everyone else back home, Kim Hock is hoping Chong Wei will go one step better today.

Kim Hock, who did not receive full accreditation due to the limitations on officials, had to watch from the spectator stands but Chong Wei acknowledged him as he walked past to give interviews to the media scrum.

And it was certainly a different Chong Wei compared to his outburst against Kim Hock after his defeat at the World Championships last year.

While he does not want to dwell on the past, Kim Hock hoped Chong Wei can realise his Olympic dream now.

“We (with Soon Kit) came close to bringing back the first Olympic gold medal in Atlanta,” said Kim Hock.

“We tried hard but luck was not on our side. At that time, Ricky-Rexy were the world number one and they were the more established pair. They were consistent and we went in with the record of having beaten them once. We knew the odds were against us.

“But it's different this time as Chong Wei is a more matured player and on top of his game. Chong Wei has whatever that Lin Dan has (in terms of skills and fitness),” said Kim Hock.

He added that it was important for Chong Wei to set his mind on winning the match.

“He must not be contented with just reaching the final. He must psyche himself up to beat Lin Dan,” said Kim Hock, who added that Chong Wei was lucky to have the benefit of utilising sports science knowledge to his advantage.

“There is good support from the physiotherapists and sports psychologists from National Sports Institute. There wasn't much emphasis on it when I was playing at that time. We mostly depended on our coaches and there was no one motivating us, unlike now,” he said.

Star