Page 9

Soon Kit's partner, Kim Hock was injured during training for Thomas Cup 2000 and Soon Kit has been partnering Chan Chong Ming. Chong Ming might seems to be the rookie of the Thomas Cup squad but he showed his maturity when he stepped in effectively for the injured Kim Hock during the whole training. The 20-year-old Chong Ming, within a period of about 10 days, struck up a good partnership with Soon Kit, 12 years his senior, to form the second doubles for Malaysia. Coach Park Joo Bong was surprised at the way they have been coming along. Chong Ming communicates well on court and has not allowed the gaps between him and Soon Kit from becoming a problem. They are roomates in the National Sports Council's (NSC) hostel in Bukit Jalil since the training base was moved to the Putra Stadium. They have even beated teammates Tan Fook-Wan Wah, ranked fourth in the world, twice in training. Chong Ming's good performance earned him a chance to get into the court in action against South Korea and India.

	"Soon Kit has been guiding me. Our court coverage is better now and I can adapt to his style of play." "Soon Kit was my hero when Malaysia won the Thomas Cup in 1992. I was 12 then. It feels good to get the chance to partner him, especially when it will be his last Thomas Cup Finals."

Back to Badminton