KUALA LUMPUR: The world’s number one men’s singles shuttler, Lee Chong Wei has announced that he will play until the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The decision came in handy as three facts remain, (1) he is still winning tournaments, (2) there is no other shuttler ready to assume the mantle, and (3) the advice he got from Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin.
“Our Sports Minister is very supportive of me and has asked me to persevere until the 2016 Olympic Games. I digested what he said and I gave him my word to keep on playing,” said Lee Chong Wei, who met the sports minister before the Indian Open.
“This year, I will focus on the majors (Thomas Cup Finals, Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Asian Games).
I will try my best to maintain my form and hang on for another two years,” the athlete added.
Lee Chong Wei started the year with limitation as he announced that he was considering quitting the sports as the year ends and wanted to spend more time with his family.
For more than five consecutive years now, the Malaysian badminton superstar has not shown any signs of deterioration.
On Sunday, he once again proved that he can still be relied on when he beat the Chinese, Chen Long in a 21-13, 21-17 run in men’s singles final at the Indian Open in New Delhi, India.
Two third and one tenth time men’s singles title for Wei. He got his third at the Indian Open, one in 2011 and one in 2013, while another third was Super Series having won the Malaysian Open in January. His tenth title was the All-England in March.
“I am taking the whole atmosphere differently now. I am enjoying myself more.
In India, I read Chen Long’s game easily and played quite well to counter his movements. It has given me confidence,” as he recalls the match.
Chong Wei is after to adding one more Super Series trophy in his collection as he competes for the Singapore Open that will begin on Wednesday.
“It has been some time since I last competed in the Singapore Open. I last played there in 2008 when I won the title ... it feels good to be back after many years,” Wei said.
Chong Wei is the only Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) player that will be featured in the Singapore Open.
The top seed player will take on 28-year-old China-born, Wei Nan of Hong Kong in the opening round on Wednesday.
The other seeded players in the tournament are Kenichi Tago of Japan, Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia, Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand, Du Pengyu of China, Son Wan-ho of South Korea, Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam and Kento Momota of Japan.
The former world junior champion Zulfadli Zulkiffli and five other independent Malaysian shuttlers namely, Misbun Ramdan Misbun, Tan Chun Seang, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, Kuan Beng Hong and Chiang Jiann Shiarng will try their luck on the qualifying round on Tuesday.
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