Kien Keat, Boon Heong determined to soar high in 2012 London Olympics – Badminton Update
Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong are in high spirits to perform beyond expectations in the London Olympics, set to be held from July 28, 2012.
Both shuttlers team up in Men’s Doubles event and currently hold eighth position in World Rankings. They are now scheduled to represent the country in mega event and the nation is hoping they can grab a medal.
The previous edition of the Olympics did not turn out well as they had to face a woeful exit from quarter-final round but this year they are all set to make amends.
The 27-year-old member of the duo, Kien Keat stated that significance of mega event pushes every shuttler to give his best shot. He hoped that they will be able to live up to their billing this year.
He said, “The fire and hunger to perform is intensified at the Games and, hopefully, Boon Heong and I will be able to do much better than our quarter-final finish at the Beijing Games.”
Moreover, he also expressed his excitement over announcement of reward scheme for Olympic medal winners.
According to this scheme, every Olympic champ will pocket a whopping amount of RM1.85 million along with RM5,000 monthly allowance.
Kien Keat commended this move from the officials and stated that such steps will drive all the Olympic-bound athletes to put an extra effort in their respective fields.
However, he also declared that they are more focused to end the long streak of failures in the Olympics and briefly commented that money is not their top priority.
He said, “The monetary rewards will push an athlete to do well but that isn’t the only thing I have been thinking about. Performing at the Olympics is a dream of every athlete and I am no different.”
Meanwhile, the other member of Malaysian pair, Tan Boon Heong also echoed his partner’s thoughts.
He said, “It does feel good to be rewarded for success but, for now, I don’t want to think about rewards. My focus is on performing well at the Olympics.”
However, it will be an uphill task for them to lock the honour in London Olympics. Their last prominent title was 2006 Asian Games and they have failed to register their mark after 2010 Malaysia Open Super Series.
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