Tamat kempen Kejohanan Badminton Berpasukan Campuran Asia, skuad negara perlu lebih bersedia kerana tiga bulan dari sekarang, mereka bakal menghadapi satu lagi kejohanan penting, iaitu Piala Sudirman, di Gold Coast, Australia, Mei nanti.
Perlu diingat, sebelum bermulanya kejohanan, pelbagai isu melanda kem badminton negara, daripada isu persengketaan pemain perseorangan lelaki, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, dengan Pengarah Teknikal Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM), Morten Frost, sehinggalah pengguguran saat-saat akhir pemain sandaran, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, dan pemain beregu campuran, Tan Kian Meng, ekoran mengalami kecederaan serius.
Namun, kem badminton negara yang dibarisi pemain muda tetap meneruskan perjuangan mereka sebagai persiapan menghadapi Piala Sudirman.
Biarpun sasaran untuk mara ke separuh akhir gagal dicapai, barisan kejurulatihan negara tetap berpuas hati dengan barisan muda yang dilihat mampu bersaing dengan pemain handalan dunia, cuma mereka perlu lebih kerap diberi pendedahan antarabangsa.
"Satu hari nanti, mereka berpeluang mewakili negara untuk beraksi dalam Kejohanan Piala Thomas.
"Kalau mereka mampu menghadapi tekanan seperti ini, maka saya berasakan mereka mempunyai kemahuan dan semangat yang bagus," kata jurulatih beregu negara, Cheah Soon Kit.
Di pihak pemain pula, mereka menganggap ini sebagai satu proses pembelajaran dalam mematangkan mereka untuk menjadi pemain yang lebih baik pada masa akan datang.
Sebagai contoh, ketika aksi berdepan barisan bintang China, meskipun tewas, ia menjadi pengajaran berguna buat barisan pemain negara untuk menilai tahap permainan mereka.
"Saya berpeluang untuk menguji kemampuan saya dengan pemain-pemain handalan dunia.
"Jelas sekali, terdapat jurang perbezaan yang besar dengan mereka.
"Justeru, saya perlu banyak memperbaiki corak permainan saya," kata pemain beregu campuran negara, Goh Soon Huat.
Shaiful Shamsudin
Mon Feb 20 2017
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