FOR the first time since perhaps the 1990 edition, Malaysian shuttlers enter the Commonwealth Games as “overwhelming favourites” for not a single event.
At best, Malaysia are on an equal footing with the likes of England, Singapore and India, said national singles coach Rashid Sidek ahead of the mixed team opening group stage clash against Barbados today.
The mixed team event is one of four gold medals Malaysia will be defending in Glasgow, and Rashid said it would require a supreme effort to bring it home again.
“Lee Chong Wei’s absence is just one of the reasons why we are in this predicament. Chong Wei would have given us a winning start in every mixed-team match and would have also been virtually unstoppable from retaining the singles gold,” said Rashid.
That, however, is just part of the problem for Malaysia.
“We are in a situation where the rest of the (Commonwealth Games) nations have improved while the progress of our players has been somewhat slow.
“This means we can’t rate ourselves as favourites for any event and the players must be prepared to fight hard.”
Despite Malaysia’s predicament, Rashid said he is hopeful of winning at least two gold medals.
“The men's singles and doubles are our best bets. Chong Wei Feng faces a challenge from England's Rajiv Ouseph and India’s P. Kashyap but if he can reproduce his Thomas Cup form, I believe he has a chance.”
Ouseph and Kashyap were silver and bronze medallists in New Delhi four years ago and it is the Indian who is expected to be Wei Feng’s main challenger.
As for the men’s doubles, Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong will be the Malaysian hope to win the gold for the 10th time in the history of the Games.
The defence of the mixed doubles gold, which was won by Koo Kien Keat-Chin Eei Hui four years ago, will be on the shoulders of scratch pair Chan Peng Soon-Lai Pei Jing.