KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 ― Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Friday and it still hurts as hell.
Even those back home in Malaysia can’t help but feel a tinge of regret of what might had been if the two 27-year-old shuttlers had kept their composure in the closing moments of their men’s doubles final against China’s Fu Haifeng-Zhang Nan.
After winning the opening game 21-16, the Malaysians lost the plot in the second to lose 21-11. They were trailing for long periods in the decider before drawing level at 12-12 and finally taking a 18-17 lead.
They then had two chances to win Malaysia’s first gold medal but two service faults — one by each player — allowed the world No 4 pair to win 23-21.
“I feel a little bit disappointed with the last few points. It is so unlucky. I made mistakes, but I really tried my best,” said V Shem.
“We are grateful for the silver. Hopefully we can keep it up after this and other competitions.”
On the whole Olympic Games experience, he said: “We have enjoyed ourselves from the first day we arrived. We will not forget this and while our dream was to win gold, the silver is a nice consolation.”
Wee Kiong admitted nerves got the better of them as they were in too much of a hurry to close out the match.
“We were in a rush to get the winning point and made a mistake. The Chinese pair showed why they have been world and Olympic champions in the past,” he said.
“It is quite disappointing as we wanted to be the first gold medallists for the country. Unfortunately it could not end with a good result.
“It is my first Olympics and I won a silver medal. I would like to thank my friends, my family, my partner, the coaches and all the supporters. They are helping us. We did all we could do. It is not a medal for us it is for all of Malaysia.”
Chef de mission Tan Sri Mohamed Al Amin Abdul Majid said no one is to blame for the loss.
He congratulated the duo for reaching the final even though they are ranked 12th in the world.
“Yes they had two match points but no one can fault them for missing the gold,” said Al Amin, who is also BA of Malaysia acting president.
“We are sad we missed the gold but the duo gave their all. I am proud of them. No one can take away what they have achieved through hard work, determination and performance. I salute them.”
