KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei have opted to cut short their year-end break to stay sharp for the 2024 season.
The duo, who were paired up last December, are aiming to build on their encouraging year by making the cut for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They are currently ranked No. 9 in the world and need to break into the top eight by the end of the Olympic qualifying period in April next year to be assured of a berth in Paris.
"We had a three-day break where we spent some time with our families and now we are back in training," said Ee Wei after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara, today.
"We really don't want to rest for a long time. We didn't have much time to train this year as we played in many tournaments... so we are using this time to go all out in training.
"We only have about 10 tournaments until the end of April and we need to maintain our performances until then.
"We are in the top 10 now but we are still not consistent yet. So, we are looking at ways to improve ourselves.
"If you see, tThe other pairs in the top 10 have been playing much longer than us. It will take time to become more consistent."
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will begin their 2024 campaign at home in the Malaysian Open from Jan 9-14 in Bukit Jalil, where they will take on world No. 11 Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue of France in the first round.
Based on head-to-head records, both pairs are evenly matched after winning a match each.
"It will not be an easy match for us for sure as you can see in the head-to-head records... We will not think too much and will just give our best," said Ee Wei.
