Here's an artcle i (with my partner) wrote for Junior Statesman Magazine to show my passion 4 koo kien keat!!! As a reward, i get RM100...haha^^
Koo Kien Keat: An Exciting Journey Ahead
by Ding Yoong Shen and Tang Wei Jie
Currently ranked world No.9 (with Tan Boon Heong), Malaysia’s doubles badminton player, Koo Kien Keat is renowned for his outstanding achievements at the 2006 Asian Games, Malaysia Open (January 2007), and All England and Swiss Open (March 2007). Without any doubt, Kien Keat is a very talented badminton player and even England players like Nathen Robertson and Anthony Clark have said he has a lot of potential.
Although Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong lost in the finals during their first try in the Japan Open, they soldiered on towards their ultimate target – Olympics gold.
Their rise to fame has been astronomical; their partnership has taken the international badminton scene by storm. Capping a heady streak of wins by raking in four major titles in six outings, capturing two major titles back-to-back, they ended a 25-year hiatus in reclaiming the All-England and Asian games gold.
Amidst all the exhilaration, however, there was disappointment, as they lost to Fu Hai Feng - Cai Yunin in the semi-finals. The loss is not going to stop them. “We will try to improve on our side and hopefully we will beat them in the next outing,” said Koo Kien Keat.
After emerging as All-England and Swiss Open men’s doubles champions, they were given a hero’s welcome in Kuala Lumpur on 20 March. Their close friends, fans, family members, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Nadzmi Mohd Salleh and even Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said welcomed them proudly.
Exhausted and looking forward to returning home, they were both initially a tad reluctant to talk about their lives off the badminton court. “I ‘suffered’ for two weeks in Europe without Malaysian food. I want to eat lots of things, like curry mee in Ipoh Garden and chao fan, fried koay teow,” said the 21-year old Kien Keat who was the chattier and cheekier one. He was witty and quick to rebut, and refreshingly unguarded. He rattled on light-heartedly, and then with a big laugh asked not to be quoted.
The duo stopped while giggly school girls got them to pose for pictures. Somewhat uncomfortable with the attention, especially when people stare at him, Kien Keat joked, “It’s not good. Now I cannot do cheeky things anymore.”
The boys have also been busy attending interviews and making appearances in events since becoming national heroes. In just the one week after their return, they have been greeted by ministers, congratulated by the Prime Minister and had a documentary on their lives aired on television. Yet, they remain indifferent to the whole fame game.
“Not much has changed actually,” said Kien Keat, “except that now I receive more SMSes when I win, and I don’t know who some of the senders are.” He was comfortable talking about almost anything – childhood, life on and off the court and his recent trips back to his hometown, where he also took the opportunity to visit his school, St.Michael’s Institution, where he was swamped by aspiring students and admiring teachers. “I’ll miss having long hair!” (Quoted after vowing to go bald if he had the All-England title.)
It was not without struggles and many obstacles that Kien Keat managed to achieve such superb status. His passion for the game and the desire to win is the key to success. “In a match, mental strength is very important as when the players are on court, 40 % is skill and 60 % mental. If a good player doesn’t have the mental strength to absorb the pressure from his opponent, he or she will mostly likely lose the match,” said coach Rexy in Birmingham.
Kien Keat made his maiden appearance in the tournament in 2004 at 19 with Gau Teik Chai but they crashed out in the second round. For two years, he played with Chou Chong Ming. In 2005, he suffered a second round exit and last year,he had to concede 9 walkovers because of Chong Ming’s illness. This time around however, it was different: Kien Keat and his partner claimed the championship. The last winners were the Sidek brothers – Jalani and Razif in 1982.
With his crew cut, he looked nothing like the trendy person he is now, Gucci shoes and all. His childhood pictures show a gawkier Kien Keat with thick spectacles. “Now I’m trendy right?” he asked in jest. “I come from a poor family and those were the glasses my family could afford. I only wore contact lenses when a BAM academy commandant said that it would be hard to get into the academy if I wore glasses,” he said. His mother was concerned about the hazards of wearing contact lenses but gave in for the sake of the boy’s future. Obviously, it has paid off, although not without sacrifice. Just a couple of days before the All-England tournament, Kien Keat had an eye ulcer and it hurt a lot to put his contact lenses on.
From attending sports school in Bukit Jalil in his teens, the road to becoming a badminton superstar was a tough one. The training was rigorous, and students led regimented and disciplined lives. “ But the discipline is good for him,” said Kien Keat’s mother, Tan Pow Chean, who waits for her youngest son’s call after every match. Although flamboyant Kien Keat now sports stylish dyed hair and ear stud, Tan said her son is more of an introvert at home. “He is more outgoing now after he joined the badminton squad. He has even picked up other Chinese dialects like Hokkien. We find out things about him from the newspaper, including some I don’t even know!” she said, and laughed when asked if her son is dating anyone.” “You ask him,” she replied.
Although the chemistry with Boon Heong in court is tremendous, he said they are not inseparable off the courts. “We are not best friends, but on the court, we are. Without him, there’s no kk. So we talk a lot on the court but we live our own lives,” said Kien Keat who shares the same birthday as Boon Heong, Sept 18. For now, it is badminton that takes precedence in their lives, and both are determined to remain focused. Kien Keat attributed their successful pairing to ”all-rounded playing and great co-operation”.
Despite their meteoric rise, Kien Keat thinks it is too early to contemplate their lives beyond their badminton careers; he said he’d like to continue his studies, adding jokingly, “If not for badminton, maybe I’d be a gangster now.” He was, however, serious when he said that the game changed his life.
All the glory looks like the beginning of an exciting journey for them. The duo embody the exuberance of youth – confident in their talent and optimistic about the future. They are certainly on the way to the top of the world in their careers. Yet, they remain boys at heart — reveling in the limelight of their victories.
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