After winning the World Cup stage 3 bronze medal in the team event in June, the veteran believes that it has been a boost to the team’s confidence as they bid to defend their title and to a fourth consecutive gold medal in Kuala Lumpur.
The 25-year-old, however, admitted that the bronze was unexpected but it was indeed a fruitful lesson at the Salt Lake City in USA from 20-25 June.
“Playing there was a challenge as the weather was rather hot and it was really windy, so we picked up our coach’s advices and did simple shots.
“We’ve learned how to control our shots in these conditions so I think from there, it did inject some confidence into the team for the Games. For now, we will focus on our shooting rather than the target set. So we will do our best to fight for the medals.
“There is a little pressure from the medal expectations as we’re playing at home but I believe teams from Thailand and Indonesia have Olympians as well and they are expected to deliver,” said the former world No. 3, who aims for the individual gold as well.
In preparations for the events dated 16-22 August, Kharul and the gang – Muhd Akmal Nor Hasrin and Haziq Kamaruddin – were also sent for a 26-day stint in South Korea.
Aside from the KL2017 Games, the team are also preparing themselves for the World Championships in Mexico City, Mexico from 15-22 Oct.
“We just came back from our training camp in South Korea last two weeks. So I do feel that there’s a difference to our performance as we have trained and sparred with one of the best club sides there.
“During our visit, we had the opportunity to watch them compete with the national team and some of them did beat the top sides so we did pick up a thing or two along the way,” added Khairul. – BY ALVIN OH
