Malaysia’s 1976 Thomas Cup badminton team went from novices to world-beaters, scripting a top underdog story.
The 1976 Thomas cuppers and their camp commandant Moe Chin Kiat at a reunion in Kuala Lumpur in May.
Punch Babes, named after the great Punch Gunalan, showed every young person that it’s possible to take control of your life, overcome daunting obstacles, and become the best. The late Gunalan together with the other coaches, Michael Chan Looi Chong and Lee Guan Chong placed emphasis on comradeship, discipline and intense loyalty.
The superstars quit after the Bangkok debacle where Malaysia were embarrassed by Thailand in the Thomas Cup Asian zone final after leading 3-1 overnight.This new generation of players first made waves when they sprung an unexpected away win over Prakash Padukone’s India, coming from 4-1 down to triumph 5-4 in the Thomas Cup zone final.
“It was Gunalan’s way of describing a fanta-stic and fa-bulous comeback win,” the late sportswriter Tony Francis wrote in the book, “Sports Flame – Stories Never Told Before”. According to Francis’ article, Gunalan taught his shuttlers some tricks like squeezing the shuttle at crucial moments during service to catch the opponent offguard with the faster shuttle speed.
When asked about Malaysia’s secret, Gunalan told reporters: “I have a bunch of fighters who had nothing to lose and everything to gain.” When the lads joined the Thomas Cup training squad in 1973, Ciku’s fatherly nature landed him the post of camp commandant at the Wisma MABA, where the players were housed during long periods of centralised training.
In May this year, a reunion of the 1976 Thomas Cup squad took place at the Pik Wah Restaurant, located in Wisma MABA, near Stadium Negara.
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