Liu Ying backs RTG push to support pros with better training base
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh revealed on Saturday that the RTG committee is in the process of identifying a new training venue for independent shuttlers under the high-performance initiative.
Currently, they are based at a sports centre in a shopping mall in Sri Petaling.
On Wednesday, men's doubles world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and mixed doubles world No. 6 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai confirmed their commitment to the RTG programme.
Liu Ying, who turned professional after leaving the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2018, said independent players often lack access to essential facilities and structured support.
"Independent players definitely don't receive the same level of support as those under BAM," said Liu Ying at the launch of the Kidslympic event at Dataran DBKL on Sunday.
"In the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), my former partner Chan Peng Soon and I had to seek help from the National Sports Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (NSI).
"We needed not just a proper training venue, but also a full support team."
Liu Ying, who won silver in the mixed doubles with Peng Soon at the Rio Olympics, stressed that proper accommodation and access to physiotherapy are crucial for professionals, particularly during packed tournament schedules.
"With the current Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar, players can be involved in two to four tournaments a month. If you reach back-to-back finals, your performance is bound to dip," she said.
"So how do you stay at your peak? That's where a proper support team becomes indispensable."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
10 hours ago
- New Straits Times
McIntosh romps to world 400m freestyle gold, Ledecky third
SINGAPORE: Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh obliterated her rivals to win the world 400m women's freestyle gold on Sunday, with American great Katie Ledecky third. The 18-year-old McIntosh romped home in 3min 56.26sec, nearly two seconds clear of China's Li Bingjie, who was followed by Ledecky in bronze. It was the world record holder's first world title in the event as she pursues five individual golds in Singapore. On the opening night of the meet, McIntosh and Ledecky, 28, renewed their rivalry from the Paris Olympics last summer. They will also meet in the 800m freestyle, billed as the most eagerly anticipated race of the championships. McIntosh took the lead early on and never looked back to demolish the rest of the field, pulling increasingly clear as the race progressed. McIntosh came to Singapore in red-hot form. She smashed the 400m freestyle world record at the Canadian trials in 3:54.18 in June. The three-time Olympic gold medallist sliced more than a second off the previous world record of 3:55.38 set by Australian Ariarne Titmus at the 2023 world championships. Olympic champion Titmus is not in Singapore because she is taking a season off before she dives back in to prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. McIntosh won gold in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley at the Paris Olympics. She took silver in the 400m free.
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Maertens wins thrilling world 400m men's freestyle gold
SINGAPORE: Germany's Olympic champion Lukas Maertens won a thrilling 400m freestyle gold at the world championships in Singapore on Sunday, pipping Australia's Sam Short by 0.02sec. in a nail-biting finish. Maertens, who broke the world record earlier this year, came home in 3min 42.35sec after a fierce battle with Short, the 2023 world champion. South Korea's Kim Woo-min, the reigning world champion, was third in 3:42.60. Maertens was the favourite for the title after breaking the world record in Stockholm in April, a mark that had stood since 2009. But Short fought him every stroke of the way, losing out after an incredible tussle to the finish. The result gave Maertens his first world title after claiming Olympic gold in Paris last year. He followed that up by setting a new world record of 3:39.96, shaving 0.11sec off the mark achieved by fellow German Paul Biedermann at the world championships in Rome in July 2009. Biedermann's mark of 3:40.07 was achieved wearing a polyurethane swimsuit that has since been banned in competition. Short missed out on an Olympic medal in the event in Paris, finishing fourth. Australia's Elijah Winnington, the Paris Olympics silver medallist, surprisingly failed to qualify for the final. Short finished fastest in the morning heats ahead of Maertens.
Malay Mail
12 hours ago
- Malay Mail
China's 12-year-old Yu Zidi stuns on world swimming debut, reaches 200m semi-finals
SINGAPORE, July 27 — China's 12-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi will join Olympic champion Summer McIntosh in the semi-finals of the women's 200 metres individual medley after qualifying in the heats on her world championships debut in Singapore today. There was no stage fright for the schoolgirl from China's northern province of Hebei as she posted a time of two minutes and 11.90 seconds — a second off her personal best — to finish 15th in the heats. Yu made the swimming world sit up and take notice at national championships in Shenzhen in May by winning the 400 IM and 200 butterfly titles, as well as coming second in the 200 IM, all with qualifying times for Singapore. Faster than Canadian McIntosh at the same age, Yu's potential is enormous and her ability to compete with the world's best will be closely watched over the coming days. World record holder McIntosh is the overwhelming favourite to win the 200 IM, though she qualified second in the heats in 2:09.46 behind Australia's Tara Kinder. Today's evening session will feature a showdown between McIntosh and American great Katie Ledecky for the 400 freestyle gold. Twelve years after winning the first of her four 400 world titles at Barcelona, Ledecky qualified fastest for the final with a time of 4:01.04. McIntosh, the Olympic silver medallist last year, will go for her maiden 400 title after finishing fourth in the heats. The 18-year-old coasted to a time of 4:03.11 — nearly 10 seconds adrift of her world record of 3:54.18 set at the recent Canadian trials. Erika Fairweather, the reigning 400 world champion, was a shock disqualification for a false start after a small movement on the block. She was one of several disappointments on day one's first session. With food poisoning having hit the United States team during their pre-meet camp in Thailand, Olympic champion Torri Huske failed to take her place in the women's 100 butterfly. Australia's Olympic silver medallist and former world champion Elijah Winnington, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the men's 400 freestyle final. It was compatriot and former world champion Sam Short taking top seed for the final instead. He will battle the German world record holder and Olympic champion Lukas Maertens for the gold later today. Olympic champions Australia and the United States will battle for the women's 4x100 freestyle relay gold in the evening session, while a new-look US team topped qualifying for the men's 100 relay final. Australia and China are also expected to battle for the gold in the men's relay later today. — Reuters
