Kuala Lumpur: After the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed the appointment of Nova Widianto from Indonesia to be BAM’s mixed doubles coach with a two-year contract, 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist – Goh Liu Ying believed the presence of Widianto (a world champion in 2005 and 2007, and a silver medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games partnering Liliyana Natsir) will benefit Malaysia’s mixed doubles players.
“Our playing style is actually quite similar to the playing style of Indonesian players,” said Goh.
“However, the skills of Indonesian players are indeed better than ours. So, I think the decision of hiring Nova is something good for the development of Malaysia’s mixed doubles players,” added Goh.
Before joining BAM, Widianto was the mixed doubles head coach for the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI). Widianto left PBSI on good terms and cited the reason for him leaving PBSI was that he would like to take on new challenges as the mixed doubles coach in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Goh Liu Ying who will make her last appearance at the 2023 Malaysian Open scheduled to be held at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur, from January 10 to January 15, partnering Chan Peng Soon before ‘hanging up her racket’, said she is excited to play at the tournament which also brought back the memory when she first started competing with Chan.
“Although Peng Soon and I have not been playing together for almost a year, our chemistry is still there and our preparation for the BWF Super 1000 Malaysia Open goes smoothly,” explained Goh.
“The Malaysia Open this time is definitely something special for me, not only will it be my last tournament but it will also remind us of the moment when we first started our mixed doubles career. The Malaysia Open was our first tournament as a pair 13 years ago.”
“Peng Soon and I have been training together since a month ago. We have been playing together for 13 years, and we understand each other well when we are on the badminton court.”
“I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself but I promise to do my best for the fans,” continued Goh.
Goh/Chan will meet the Indonesian pair, Rehal Naufal Kusharianto/Lisa Ayu Kusumawati in the first-round action of the 2023 Malaysia Open. They’ll play compatriots either Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei or Tan Kian Meng/Lai Pei Jing in the second round.
