MVP Cup first step in Asuncions’ quest for 2008 Olympic berth

With their Asian Games bid still hanging in the balance, the brother-sister tandem of Kennevic and Kennie Asuncion chase an Olympic berth as they play in a number of big international competitions, including the forthcoming MVP Cup this weekend.

After the MVP Cup, a friendly competition pitting the best of Asia against Europe’s finest, the Asuncion siblings compete in tough tournaments in Macau, China, Thailand and the United States with hopes of nailing points that could become their ticket to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"We’re focused on getting enough points to make it to the 2008 Olympics. That’s the reason why we’re joining in as many tournaments we can," said Kennie.

The mixed doubles pair has made significant strides, moving from 69th in the world rankings two months ago to their personal best 20th recently following wins in New Zealand and Australia plus a runner-up finish in the RP Open last May.

After a short break, the Asuncions went back to work, training with a number of Koreans, mostly former national players who’re working out at the Asuncions’ badminton center in San Juan.

In the MVP Cup, the two will face World No. 9 Thomas Laybourn and Camilla Rytter-Juhl of Denmark in a non-ranked competition that should help sharpen their skills.

"After the MVP Cup on Sunday, we’ll be leaving on Monday for Macau, then we compete in the Thailand Open and the US Open," said Kennevic.

"We’re still eyeing more tournaments but we’re focusing on these three tournaments first."

However, the two may well miss the RP delegation to the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar in December.

They’re not qualified under the criteria set by the Asian Games task force since they failed to snare a single medal in the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games.

The Asuncions gave the country its first ever SEAG medal by snatching a bronze in the 2003 Hanoi Games but couldn’t win one in Manila.

"I hope we’ll get to play in Doha," said Kennie, who coaches the grade, high school and college badminton teams of Ateneo de Manila.