Malaysia BOLEH!!

Like many millions of Malasians I sat up late last night to watch the final of the All-England Badminton finals.  The major event was of course the Men's Singles.  Surely this time, at his seventh attempt, Chong Wei could take the coveted title.  And he did: 21-19 21-19.  Today's papers show a delighted Penangite holding aloft the silver cup.  And the record books will say that Lee Chong Wei won the 100th All England, the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the badminton calendar.  And there could not be a more popular or a more worthy winner. 

Chong Wei has been a tremendous Ambassador for Malaysia.  The crowd in Birmingham gave him a fantastic reception: not just the Malaysians present, but everyone in the stadium.  He has won so many titles over the years.  But this was "the big one", the one that had eluded him so far.  His opponent was not after all Lin Dan, his nemesis, but a young qualifier from Japan, Kenichi Tago, who "fought with the spirit of a Bushido warrier" (NST) and will, I am sure be a future star of the game.  

My interest in badminton goes back to my own playing days, when I represented Northern Ireland.  Rudi Hartono was All England champion then and the great Malaysian names were Ng Boon Bee, Tan Aik Huan and the Sidek brothers.  Early on in my time here, I got a call from someone who had heard about this interest and invited me to come along and "hit with a visiting English player", who was currently training in Malaysia.  I turned up at the KL Rackets Club to find myself lined up with Andrew Smith, England's top singles player (knocked out in one of the early rounds of the All England) and playing against a number of Malaysian team players including several Commonwealth Games medallists and other tournament winners.   Needless to say, my game was not quite up to their standard.  But I really enjoyed the experience, which gave me a sense of the importance of the sport to Malaysia and the sheer talent available in this country.

At future sessions I got the chance to meet Hafiz (All England Single's champion in 2003) and even appeared on court - albeit briefly - with Chong Wei himself.  The pace of his smash (unreturnable!!) and his sheer alll-round athleticism were amazing.  But he also impressed with his modesty and commitment to the game.  A true Malaysian champion!