Mum hopes pair will deliver the gold
Published on: Thursday, August 18, 2016
Tawau: Tan Wee Kiong's mother, Tan Yok Hua, 52, is confident her eldest son and Goh V Shem will give their best to bring home the gold in the Men's Doubles final at the Rio Olympic Games tomorrow (Friday).She said her son is someone with a strong will to succeed and not fussy. The Malaysian pair would meet China's Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan."He loves nasi lemak … he will ask me to cook nasi lemak every time he returns to Tawau," she said, adding that she last met Wee Kiong in May. He is the eldest of four siblings.
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Wee Kiong's younger brother is equally confident that the Malaysian badminton men's doubles pair would strike gold. "We hope our brother will help bring home the gold medal in the men's team," said Tan Wee Tat, when met at the Tawau Badminton Academy (TBA) at Jalan Sin Onn, owned by their father Jackie Tan. He said the family would be watching the final against on television at home. It was learnt that their father and two uncles – Tan Ek Beng and Henry Tan – have gone to Rio to be with Wee Kiong. The Malaysian pair on Monday stunned world number one pair Lee Yong Dae/Yoon Yeon Seong from South Korea 17-21, 21-18, 21-19 in the quarterfinals. It was their second win over the Koreans in eight encounters. "His success is something we are very proud of, we did not expect him and V Shem to reach the finals because Wee Kiong himself expected that they would only reach the semis. This is indeed a shock for us," said Wee Tat.
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Wee Tat, himself, a national badminton player, said he and his brother shared the same interests – playing Play Station 4 during their free time. He said the family seldom got to meet because of their busy training schedule and tournaments in numerous countries.
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However, support and prayers were conveyed to Wee Kiong via their family WhatsApp group. "Before Wee Kiong left for Rio on July 29, we had the opportunity to have dinner together on July 27 at Kuala Lumpur and I also gave him encouraging words of support," he said. Wee Tat thanked Malaysians for their prayers and support. Wee Kiong's two brothers, Wee Tat and Wee Gieen are also national badminton players, they have an only sister named Yun Ying. Wee Kiong was born on May 21, 1989 in Tangkak, Johor and began his early education at SJK ( C ) Kung Yu, Kundang Ulu, Johor, before joining Sekolah Sukan Malaysia Bukit Jalil. The family who originated from Johor migrated to Tawau in 2001 to develop their business.Meanwhile, Goh's father Ricky Goh, 57, hope the country's top men's doubles pair would be calm to absorb the pressure when facing Zhang and Fu. Ricky said it was important for his son and Wee to minimise unforced errors to ensure they clinch the gold."I want them to put up their best performance and not to pressure themselves for a win. It's important to stay focused," he said.He said the pair has a good chance of winning the gold medal if they reduced simple mistakes as seen in the past few matches. Senior Goh was proud of the pair for reaching the final but reminded his son and Wee to not take their opponents from China lightly although they have beaten the world number four in their group match. "I could see the Chinese pair who played against their British opponents, conserving their energy for the final," said Ricky Goh. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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