Super Show by Kien Keat and Boon Heong

I was priviledged to watch the Malaysian Open Super Series Finals 2007 at the KLBA Stadium in Cheras. It was an occasion to remember when our doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong put on a show to stun Sydney Olympic Champions, Tony Gunawan and Chandra Wijaya in straight sets to win the inaugural Super Series tournament in KL.

This pair certainly had what it takes to win even more major honours if they keep the right attitude. Too many a time when our athletes fail because of their severely lacking mental attibute of patience, determination, confidence and poise. This pair seem to have it all. Winning the Asian Games gold medal proved to be no fluke after all. We never had a shortage of skillful shuttlers, it's just we had very few smart ones. The ones who will win the points when the chips are down or when it matters most. I foresee this pair destined for greater heights if they keep their heads down and do what they do best, play good badminton.

It was absolutely breathtaking to watch it live in the stadium. Both our young stars had impregnable defence, you could see the expression on the faces of Tony and Chandra when their smashes kept coming back. This match could signify the changing of guard. The new replacing the old where Tony and Chandra, legendary in their own right were given a run around by the hottest pair in world badminton today. Believe me, not many Malaysian pairs would be able to match Chandra and Tony, let alone beat them fair and square.

Tony Gunawan, with 3 world titles with different partners would probably be the best ever doubles player in badminton's history eclipsing even the likes of Park Joo Bong and Rexy Mainaky. I truly believe Kien Keat and Boon Heong will be up there at the end of their careers if their attitude is right. By the way, they are only 22 and 20 respectively. Bring on Beijing 2008 and London 2012. We may have multiple Olympic gold medallists come 2012. It's exciting times for Malaysian badminton. Let's hope our singles shuttlers buck up! Malaysia Boleh!