KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian table tennis team are now in the spotlight — a rarity in the sport's history — thanks to Javen Choong-Wong Qi Shen's remarkable performance at the recent Asian Championships.
World No. 187 Javen-Qi Shen claimed a historic bronze medal in Kazakhstan, defeating several top-ranked men's doubles pairs, including world No. 1 Lin Shidong and Lin Gaoyuan of China in the quarter-finals.
With the Southeast Asian (SEA) Championships in Bangkok fast approaching from Nov 19-24, expectations are now high for Javen-Qi Shen to aim for gold.
National coach Beh Lee Wei said her team are targetting a gold in Bangkok.
"The focus will be on Javen-Qi Shen to replicate their stellar performance at next month's Sea Championships," said Lee Wei.
"Nothing is impossible. They took down the world No. 1 pair from China in Kazakhstan, and I believe they can rise to the challenge again in Bangkok.
"Javen-Qi Shen are training hard, but they'll face tough competition from Singapore's Koen Pang-Izaac Quek, who defeated them in the semi-finals in Kazakhstan.'
The others in the team are Danny Ng, Tey Hong Yu, Im Jin Zhen, Tee Ai Xin, Karen Lyne, Alice Chang, Im Li Ying and Gan Ai Lis.
"Javen-Qi Shen's sensational run at the Asian meet has boosted their teammates' confidence. I hope the team will achieve something special in Bangkok," added Lee Wei.
In the 2022 edition in Bangkok, Malaysia clinched one silver (men's team) and three bronzes (women's singles, doubles and team).