It's Badminton World, the show that brings you all things badminton
from the four corners of the globe Apart from bringing you the latest world
rankings and results from the Adidas China masters
our feature this month centers on dynasties and badminton
plus we speak to a player who harbours the hope of
emulating his father. Welcome to another episode of Badminton World
Such is the game of badminton that appeals to all strata of society and
across
all ages. It's not unusual for badminton to involve the whole family
A family affair that can metamorphosise into a family dynasty
Through the pages of history badminton dynasties are aplenty
Indonesia boasts the Mainaky brothers who have a world champion in their midst
The Sidek siblings are continued to be held in high esteem in Malaysia and abroad
either by luck all by design Malaysia seems to be producing badminton families
more than any other badminton-mad nation
The Latif siblings -- Zakry, Arif and Razif - have made their mark in the
Malaysian scene.
They are the latest in a long line of badminton families who have set
the local sporting fraternity alight
The way Eddy and David Choong in the 50's, Tan Aik Huang and Tan Aik Mong in the 60's,
the Sideks in the 80's and 90's,
the Saha brothers, the Yap twins, and the Hashim family of Roslin, Hafiz,
and Muhammad. Let's get to know the Latif brothers who strengthened their
family bond through badminton. There's one good thing about my
family
my family's unique because all of us share the same
interest, so in a sense we are united
If one of us wants to play badminton, then the rest will follow suit. Each and every one
of us
have the basic fundamentals in badminton, which
strengthens our shared interest, plus our social life
revolves around sports.
Our family is unique as there are not many siblings active in the badminton
world.
So from there people can see that there's a family of badminton players
playing from Malaysia. And people can see for themselves
how, as siblings, we thrive on each other support
and encouragement.
From family bonding to global stardom
that is their ultimate ambition.
"As a family our hopes are that we can go
far in badminton. If possible,
be on par with the Sidek family, God's willing"
When you are involved in an elite surrounding, having a family members
nearby
is an added advantage. "During a match
if we know that our siblings are watching this play, automatically our spirit will rise
because they are cheering for you. Even
if my game is at 9am they are willing to wake up
early to cheer me on. So why can't I do the same for them?
Sometimes when we are at a loss during a match but suddenly hear the voices cheering
us on, it will renew my determination. Sometimes when I get
tired and my game slows down, I will hear my father shouting at me to keep on going
The voices of the people that we love are
an automatic boost." But how did it all begin?
"My sister started playing first, followed by brother Najib,
after that Zakry, then me." Seven of the nine Latif siblings have played at
state level
at least a remarkable feat. "All of us became serious when we were in primary
two,
we started training seriously then we qualified to play for the state, after
that it was
full-time training so from then on we became serious."
Naturally they owe it to their parents.
"My father was always interested in badminton and encouraged us from the
start
Our training will begin after Maghrib from 8 till 10:30 at night
My father was extremely busy at that time. After work he would play badminton with
his friends,
then rush home to spend time with his children, then send us
off for training, wait for us for two hours, take us home
and he would still go to work the next day. My father sacrificed for us
and no matter how tired he was, he never missed sending us for training.
That's how much he supported us."
"Teachers used to ask their students
what they want to be when they grow up. The standard
answers would either be a doctor or a pilot.
And back in the day, badminton was just a hobby.
At first I started playing because my father
asked me to. Since I like the game I entered a few tournaments
From there my skills evolved and my farther started sending me for full
time training until I was 13 years old. That was when I decided
to turn badminton into a career." When the tough gets going
their father Latif remains a symbol of faith and perseverance.
"My father is like my idol. He is
always very encouraging and I believe he gave us that gift.
For example my little brother was a little down in his game
we guided and supported him until he was back in his game
and there was once when I was 15 years old I told my father
I wanted quit. He told me to be patient and not to give up
He believed in me." The 2014 season promises to be a challenging one for the siblings
"My two targets for 2014 are to play in the Asian Games
and to improve my ranking. Right now I am in the top 4 of Malaysia
but I'd like to be in the top 3 so we shall see if I'll be given a chance to go."
But they remain focused by keeping each other on their toes.
"There were many a time that my brother has cautioned me in my training schedule
and my technique because ever since I left the BAM
I've had to rely on myself. I have to improve my self discipline."
Motivating each other has become a daily routine for the siblings
"We have always discussed among ourselves
for example before a game we will discuss gameplay
if you're playing against a certain player
his strong points would be researched. So from there
we will plot our strategy. As my brothers have more experience than me
their words give me strength and confidence to face my opponents."
With the new year just around the corner
Zakry is still fired up
although he realizes time is running out
"I will keep on playing for another 2 or 3 years until the 2016 Olympics
who knows I may get a chance to enter the Olympic
In 2008, I almost had the chance. I was
automatically qualified but each country has a quota
of only two pairs. Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong
and Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah. So I missed the opportunity"
Zakry has aim for the sky for 2014
"My target for 2014 is to qualify for World Championships
that's my main target. And if there's a chance I would like to get a place in the
Thomas Cup team. God's willing."
Finally we ask them their hopes for the future
"I haven't won lot of titles so my hope is that my brothers
will be able to better my achievement. I always challenged them to break my record"
"My hopes are that
all of us will achieve our targets in badminton plus whatever that we aim for
in our personal lives"
"Actually I hope that one of us will make it to the top
Last time we nearly saw the light with Arif and Zakry
in 2008 while he was under the guidance of coach Rexy he
became a champion.
Ideally all three of us will qualify for the Olympics"
To the new badminton dynasty
we wish you the best of luck
Badminton
No sport comes close.
Stay tuned as we discuss a new legacy created by an Irish
family
only on Badminton World.
Hi I am Lee Chong Wei
you're watching Badminton World
Welcome back to Badminton World. Sliced drop shot, flat high clear, smash,
intricate net play, all part and parcel of the daily grind
that a badminton player has to undergo in order to fulfil his
or her dreams. Malaysia too remains loyal to the script
The Malaysian formulae providing training for all levels of badminton
is the one that involves governmental and non-governmental organizations.
This smart partnership which involves the BA of Malaysia with government agencies
such as the National Sports Council
and the National Sports Institute to agencies under the purview of the Youth
and Sports Ministry
has helped to preserve badminton status as a national passion
If BAM provides the technical expertise
NSC is the financing body NSI provide
sports scientist and support group. BAM has a large pool of coaches to help
shape the future badminton in the country
In the elite group, Rashid Sidek, Tey Seu Bock, and Hendrawan are in charge
of men's singles, while Tan Kim Her, Paulus Firman and Rosman Razak
monitor the doubles'
and Wong Tat Meng putting the women's singles players through their paces
the coaching structure in BAM ensures
it is designed to meet the needs of the individual rather than the large group
concepts
a dedicated group of coaches responsible on all aspects of training
such as technique or match play will ensure a bright future
BAM development plan is on the right track
with a healthy pool of players at the Bukit Jalil Sports School and
excellent infrastructure. This bodes well for the future of
Malaysia badminton
The rugged terrain of Donegal County in Ireland houses Beltany Hill,
where one of the finest stone circles reputedly older than Stonehenge is found.
But we shall not touch on history. Just over a mile from that hill
is Raphoe, a small-town that has produced a badminton-mad
family -- the Magees When Samuel and Audrey Magee
introduced the game to their offsprings over a decade ago, little did they know that
they would be shaping the future of the game in Ireland
from a building with one small court in Raphoe
emerged Daniel, Sam, Chloe and Joshua. After flirting with fame for a fleeting
moment Daniel 27 became a coach in 2009
it was just a year after sister Chloe had become the only second Irish female
badminton players to play at an Olympic Game
With Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic
under her belts, Chloe enjoyed the growing reputation in the women's singles
In the mixed doubles Chloe joins forces with younger brother Sam
Much of the progress is attributed to Danish coaching
"I think in Ireland, its based on European
Danish style coaching. I thnk Asians can do it a lot longer harder training
I think in Ireland we do shorter
quick intervals, maybe 2 minutes whereas Asians can do 10 minutes.
That's definitely different. I think it is more European, Irish style."
"I think we do mostly everything we can
maybe in the Danish way, we had Danish coaches in the past
I think in Ireland we don't have as many technique coaches so we do need a
lot of work there's no doubt about that. We focus on mostly all there is." Chloe who laments the lack of
players in Ireland to help us stretch her boundaries
intends to give back to the game one day.
"I don't think after retiring I would go into coaching. I would like to get away from badminton. I'd like to think I would
also give back, help the younger players when I go back maybe spar with them
because for me the biggest problem in Ireland is that I don't have so many girls to play against.
when it comes to tournaments i can be a little bit behind but that's what i would like to do when I've retired
help the younger ones, go play with them but as for coaching I don't think I would like to be a coach"
Compared to the Asian opponents Ireland is lagging behind in the coaching aspect
"I think the coaching method Ireland, it's quite..
the standards are quite low in Ireland, like a lot of coaches are
still learning
Our main coach has gone off
we've had Danish coaches in the past come and Swedish coaches and I thhnk
you know as they started getting older they will get better
Our main coach is good but other than that it's quite low level."
Things are looking up though. With Dan as the chief coach
Sam has won a European junior gold medal in the men's doubles
as well as Norwegian, Lithuanian, and Turkish international titles
and taken a growing list of Irish titles. Chloe with whom he reached the final
of the Dutch
Open mixed doubles in April is a seven-time Irish Champion
and Ireland badminton poster girl. Nonetheless, Sam knows much needs to be done to
close the gap with the superpowers.
Strength is the uppermost in his mind.
"I think the Asians are more powerful I think maybe their bodies
are a little bit better built,
quick muscles in their body whereas Europeans are quite slower
I don't why that is but I don't think we
are less powerful but just not as powerful like the Asians."
Badminton
No sport comes close.
Coming up on Badminton World
results of the Adidas China Master, plus an exclusive interview with the legendary
player and
his prodigal son.
My name is Ville Lang. I am from Finland
and you're watching Badminton World
Welcome back to Badminton World. China badminton stars
celebrated victory on home soil claiming all but one of the five titles up for
grabs on the final day at the China Masters tournament at Changzhou.
7 seed Wang Zhengming took the men's singles title after a marathon one
hour and fifteen minute game against South Korea's Son Wan Ho
which he eventually won 11-21, 21-14, 24-22
in the women's final Thailand's Porntip Buranaprasertsuk
failed to clinch a fairy tale title after she was overcome by China's Liu Xin
21-4, 13-21, 21-12. Top seedsKo Sung-hyun and Lee Yong-dae of South Korea beat second
seed here Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan
in the men's doubles, the only final to witness a non-Chinese winner
In the mixed doubles final, second seeds Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei of China claimed a
21-18, 21-12 victory against South Korea's Yoo Yeon-seong
and Eom Hye-won. The South Koreans were runners-up for the second year in
succession
In the women's doubles top seeds Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang beat second-seeded
Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua
21-17, 21-16 in an all-China final. Now let's take a peek at the world
rankings so far
Lee Chong Wei remains firmly in the driving seat on the top of the men's
singles
as the top five remains unchanged. However Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark
climbed three spots to take number six. Those still in the top 10, Tommy Sugiarto
drop one spot to number seven
China Masters winner Wang Zhengming climbed one spot to take number nine
Although her China Masters adventure was halted at the semi-final stage
Li Xuerui remains the top-ranked women shuttler. She's closely pursued by
world champion Ratchanok Intanon
Ko Su Hyung and Lee Yong Dae are firmly on top of the men's double section
which sees no change in the top five pairs .The same story goes
for women's doubles with the top five pairs remain the same with Wang Xiaoli
and Yu Yang remaining at the top
however plenty of changes in the mixed doubles
Olympic champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei are back as the world number one after
winning the China Masters
swapping places with Xu Chen and Ma Jin, followed by three-time world champions Tontowi
Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir at number three
The pick of the events in October are... the Superseries Premier Yonex Denmark Open
on the 15th till the 20th, the Yonex French Open on 22nd till the 27th
as well as the BWF World Junior Championships in Bangkok from 23rd
October to 3rd November
where we hope there will be more gems to be uncovered. For more info you can visit
BWF
official website. Welcome back to Badminton World
as we speak exclusively to a father and son combo
Icuk Sugiarto was an accomplished shuttler winning the World Championship
in Copenhagen thirty years ago after an epic battle against his compatriot
Liem Swie King. Months after climbing the podium
Icuk married Nina Yaroh and they were blessed with three kids, one of which is
carrying forward his legacy
Born five years after Icuk lifted the world title, Tommy showed a glimpse of his
potential of becoming a chip off the old block
by winning the World Junior silver medal in 2006
If Icuk was known for his supreme fitness, impregnable defense,
excellent backhand and brute strength, Tommy has more of a rounded game
The difference in style has a lot to do with the new points system
but comparison between the two is unavoidable
of which Tommy is quick to shrug off.
"Pressure will always be there that's normal
especially when you're representing your country
every player will face a huge burden
My motivation is to do my best for Indonesia
and to be a champion for my country and of course for myself."
Parental support has been crucial behind Tommy's emergence
"My father gives me plenty of support he motivates me to be a fighter
so that when I play I can face anyone
in whatever condition even if I'm under tremendous pressure
or I am too tired, I must a soldier on
and keep on fighting." Icuk's pointers are allied with divine
assistance
in order to maintain his focus Tommy observes certain routines before setting
foot
onto the court. "I do observe a few routines
before match I will call my parents and ask for their blessings
I will also pray and ask for strength
before entering the court."
Divine assistance aside, Tommy was taught by
Icuk to have tons of self-belief.
"He told me to be confident and to believe in myself
he said I must show to everyone that I am confident of my capabilities
and whoever is my opponent
no matter how hard it is or how great the pressure is, all can be faced down
if I'm confident with myself ."
Having listened to Tommy side of the story, now speak to the proud father
"I am so proud and happy to see Tommy
giving his best for Indonesia and for himself
I always say to him
if you want to be the best you must be
the best,
and if you want to be a champion
he must defeat a champion."
But as Icuk insisted Tommy is thousands of
miles away from reaching the promised land
"Right now Tommy is on a roll
but his journey is still very long but hopefully
with each step he'll be more confident he must believe that you can and will
make it
That's the only way to reach the top and that's what I always tell him"
Tommy is fortunate not only to have inherited the DNA of the world champion
like other children of former athletes he was given an early start
"To be a champion
he must go through pain. He must go through hardships
He needs discipline. He must want to defeat
everyone while he's still in his teens and he has proven he has
all the above and I will continue to support him
I shared with him everything that I had gone through
when I was a player. For me supporting him mentally
is more important in order for him to be a great player."
Icuk is generous in sharing his years in badminton to jump-start Tommy's career
"We always talk about the years when I was an athlete
I was so confident during that time that my preparation was
designed in such a way that I would not allow myself to be defeated by anyone
I told him how determined I was in beating
players who were better than me and the preparation that I had to go through
in order to achieve that. Nowadays
I barely see Tommy. Every month
is always off to many tournaments.
so it's hard to meet up with him. So he must be prepared and work harder than
ever
I always remind him about that and take an interest in his daily training
and what he's improved so far and I tell him
if you have prepared properly all that you strike for
will be yours. The most important thing
is that you must always believe in your abilities."
Icuk is living proof
how hard work can reap the desired results. "I have matured as I told him
my secrets.
i said, look at me I have nothing
but I have heart and I have determinations
and most of all I believe in myself."
We shall wait and see whether or not Tommy can emulate his father by
conquering the world
That's all the time we have for you this month with the exception of this month's
selected Superseries moment. Don't forget if you have a favorite Super
Series moment of your own
send over to badmintonworld@totalsportsasia.com
and as we say goodbye don't forget we will be back with more news, profiles, and
interviews. Don't forget to keep on tuning into Badminton World
your window to the game. In the meantime its farewell for now from Badminton
World
it's the world we know