THEY may have sat on the sidelines at the Beijing Olympics but bank on Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari being in the limelight in London four years from now.

The two 25-year-olds narrowly failed to qualify for Beijing but based on their recent form, the pair could very well take over from veterans Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook or even hotshots Koo Kient Keat-Tan Beong Hoong in the not too distant future.

What is it about this Seremban-Taiping combination that makes them such a lethal partnership on the court? Believe it or not, it is because they are each so different from the other.

Zakry is a life-long Liverpool fan while Fairuzizuan is a die-hard Manchester United supporter. While the former prefers the silence of a fishing trip in his free time, the latter would crank up the volume as he watches the latest blockbuster movies. Zakry comes from a large family of 10 siblings, most of whom are into badminton while Fairuzizuan is the only one of three siblings to be actively involved in the sport.

Yet, when they are on court, they are as perfect as roti canai and dhall (though some would say chicken curry). Their different backgrounds is mirrored in their partnership on court—when one does the attacking, the other knows how to cover the angles and defend.

The duo, who have created waves in the badminton scene with their back-to-back victories in the Singapore and Indonesian Opens, do have one thing in common though—a desire to be the best in the world. “Although we were only paired together a year ago, we hope to become world champions by 2010,” said Zakry. “It is a lofty target but we are both 25 and nearing the peak of our careers. I don’t think it is such an outlandish goal if we continue to train hard and listen to our coaches.”

Martyn Alexander has been a sports journalist for nearly 15 years. He has covered major sporting events such as the All England Championships, Badminton World Championships, Commonwealth Games and several Malaysian F1 races. In his free time, he looks out of windows in the hope of seeing UFOs (he has yet to be successful, but on the upside there are a lot of lovely ladies staying near by).