KUALA LUMPUR: The national badminton squad have done well at the Paris Olympics so far.
Three pairs – Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles) and Pearly Tan-M Thinaah (women’s doubles) – have already booked their spot in the quarterfinals.
Lee Zii Jia and Goh Jin Wei also have a chance of advancing to the knockout rounds in the men’s and women’s singles.
Not many are aware that supporting the players, behind the scenes, are staff from the National Sports Institute (NSI). NSI has sent 20 staff to support 26 national athletes in Paris.
This includes medical doctors, physiotherapists, masseuses, nutritionists, psychologists as well as performance analysts.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei are among those who have benefited from the services of NSI sports psychologist Lim Jun Xuan.
The duo upset China’s world No.2 pair, Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping, in their final Group D match yesterday.
“After sessions with Jun Xuan, our communication became better and we became tighter as a pair,” said Ee Wei.
“It really helped us perform to the best of our abilities on court.” Tang Jie-Ee Wei also depend on the expertise of NSI performance analyst Nur Zubillah Azis to not only analyse their own strengths and weaknesses but also their opponents.
