KUALA LUMPUR – It won’t be easy for the national number one women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, as the pressure will be more than usual, according to former player and Olympian Goh Liu Ying.
“The pressure will come from opponents scrutinising their game more than ever. Opponents will always do homework on you, but at the Olympics, they will step it up to another level, and you need to learn how to handle it.
“From a mental perspective, you need to learn how to endure that pressure and add variety to your game to counter your opponents’ research,” said Liu Ying, who won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with partner Chan Peng Soon.
World number 13 pair Pearly-Thinaah is currently in ninth position on the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Race to Paris rankings, which means their spot in Paris is secured.
With that, Liu Ying said Pearly-Thinaah need to focus on keeping themselves injury-free with just four months to go until the biggest multi-sports event in the world begins.
“They need to make sure they avoid any injuries and focus on injury prevention during training sessions. It is not about training more but focusing on the quality of training rather than long, hard sessions.
“I also believe that they should be selective when choosing their tournaments since their qualification to Paris is confirmed. It will allow the pair to work on whatever needs to be improved,” added the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Meanwhile, Pearly believes she and Thinaah are on the right track in their preparations for the Olympics.
“We are on the right path. I will continue to listen to the coaches and sports science experts who have helped us a lot.
“I have confidence we can do well at the Olympics, but that does not mean we will win our games. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, you will surely lose.
“So I feel good about our preparation, and we will do our best in Paris and let’s see the results there,” added the 24-year-old.
Previously, Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) technical director Rexy Mainaky said the coaching team is contemplating pulling Pearly-Thinaah out of the upcoming Uber Cup to fully focus on the Paris Olympics in July. – March 27, 2024