Thai players need help as they flop on international stage
Remedies are definitely needed to get Thai shuttlers out of the quicksand, as they continue to slump in major international competitions, including returning empty-handed from the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Incheon has been a nightmare for the Thai shuttlers. None made it to the semi-finals in his or her events. Thai No 1 Boonsak Ponsana and Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk suffered ignominious first-round exits in the men’s singles competition while South Korea’s Bae Youn-joo sent Thai hopeful Ratchanok Intanon packing in the women’s singles quarter-finals.
The Thai men’s team took bronze in the Guangzhou Asian Games four years ago but failed to make their mark this time, going down to Taiwan in the first round. Things got worse for the women’s team, which made a great impact in Guangzhou by picking up a silver medal, but in Incheon they fell to fast-improving India in the quarter-finals.
If success is counted by the returns of a player from a tournament, the performances of the Thai shuttlers in the global competitions is anything but great.
From January up until now, the men’s duo of Maneepong Jongjit and Nipitphon Puangpuapech are the only Thais to have won something. The world No 14 and second seeds stunned Danish top seeds Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in three games in the final to capture the US Open Grand Prix Gold in July.
Age plays a major factor in sports that are dominated by Asians. To perform well in a rally or a tightly contested match, a player needs physical strength and endurance. Experience alone cannot help that much in this kind of game. It’s a mixture of tactics, experience and excellent physical condition that takes a player past the winning line.
Age is taking its toll on a veteran like Boonsak. To improve his performance, he will require more strength, power and “killer instinct”. The proof of his vulnerability is clearly seen whenever he faced the formidable Lee Chong Wei. The world No 1 from Malaysia defeated Boonsak 21 times in 23 meetings.
If the Thai veteran calls it a day in the near future, the Badminton Association of Thailand will have the problem of finding an able player to fill his shoes. Thailand’s best bet, world No 30 Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, is still finding his feet in the badminton world.
Ratchanok Intanon, currently World No 6, has not won a tournament since winning the world championship last year. The nagging back injury that forced her to withdraw from the China Masters Open last year remains a major concern in her quest to reach the pinnacle. She has decided to skip the National Badminton Championships from November 11 to 16, where she was due to defend her third crown, to give her back much-needed rest.
Since her second-place finish in the Korea Open and Indonesia Open in January and June respectively, Ratchanok’s hopes of climbing up to the top of the world in rankings remained only a dream.
Meanwhile, Nichaon Jadapon, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk and Busanan Ongbumrungpan need to sharpen their skills and gain more competition experience.
