KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — “My journey as a badminton player would be incomplete without Chan Peng Soon and thank you for everything”.
That was an unfeigned reaction from Goh Liu Ying, who was the former mixed doubles partner with Peng Soon, following their separation last night.
Liu Ying said Peng Soon was her backbone in badminton for the past 13 years and described the latter as the best partner she had ever played with in the court.
“I feel everybody has the right to choose the individual’s own path, I respected his decision while he respected mine.
“It was really hard for me to part ways with him but I believe every journey has an end and perhaps this end game is good for us,” she told Bernama when contacted today.
Earlier today, Peng Soon rejoined BAM, merely a day after he split up with Liu Ying.
BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria in a statement said after thorough deliberation, they reached the decision to absorb the accomplished 33-year-old shuttler with the objective of strengthening the mixed doubles department and implementing a mentoring role for the youthful national squad.
Asked on her next move, the 32-year-old shuttler said she wanted to take a break for at least two months before deciding on her next journey.
As a professional player, Liu Ying admitted that it would be difficult for her to search for a sponsorship and a new partner due to the lack of shuttlers at the moment, should she decides to return to the court soon.
“It’s not easy to find a new partner, we are not like an association in which you can decide to let a junior player as your new partner,” she added.
Meanwhile, she believed that Peng Soon will be a good role model to the juniors either as a player or coach in Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
Apart from sharing a wonderful feat in Rio 2016 in which they bagged home the silver medal, Liu Ying pointed out that having to see Peng Soon evolve from being a single to a dad now was something that she will cherish.
“Peng Soon would often get emotional every time we played in the court, I also have to control my emotion too even though he is a good dad and husband outside the court,” she said.
Last night, Peng Soon in a heartfelt Instagram post informed that it was really difficult for them to make the decision to break up for good.
Earlier yesterday, Liu Ying in a Facebook post said that they have pulled out from the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Championships 2021 competition just six days before it kicks off in Huelva, Spain, citing the age factor, fitness and the increase in Covid-19 cases worldwide as the main reason for throwing in the towel.
The withdrawal of the professional duo means that the BWF World Tour Finals 2021 was their last ever tournament as a pair after they lost to Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai 8-21, 18-21 in the semi-finals.
Besides Rio 2016 success, Peng Soon-Liu Ying had clinched 12 titles as well as the gold medal for the mixed team event in 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, mixed doubles bronze medal in 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, and also being the third world’s best, their highest ever ranking, in 2013. — Bernama
