ALTHOUGH disappointed with the recent turn of events, national mixed doubles shuttler Shevon Lai will still stand by her partner, Goh Soon Huat.
After stunning everyone to reach the All England semi-finals in March, the world No 13 pair suffered several setbacks, mainly due to Soon Huat, who has become somewhat of a liability to the partnership.
In April, after clearing the first round of the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur, the national No 1 mixed doubles were forced to concede a walkover after Soon Huat felt dizzy during a morning training session.
The 29-year-old then pulled his thigh in the same month, which resulted in BAM withdrawing the pair from the Asia Championships in Wuhan, China.
Despite being named team captain for the Sudirman Cup last month, Soon Huat failed to shine as he and Shevon fell flat against India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Ashwini Ponnappa in a group stage tie, when they were expected to win.
The most recent blow was when BAM confirmed on Saturday that the pair will not make the trip to Sydney for the Australian Open this week, after Soon Huat picked up a hamstring injury in training.
The timing could not have been worst, as tournaments now offer Olympic qualifying points.
“Personally, I feel sad because it’s a setback for both of us. It’s also been some time now since our good run at the All England.
“It has been a tough period for the both of us, a lot of emotions too, but we have to be strong to face it, it’s part and parcel of being on this journey together,” said Shevon.