Malaysia's Top Shuttler Chong Wei Says Pressure To Deliver Olympic Gold Always There

By M. Saraswathi NEW DELHI (India), May 4 (Bernama) -- It is going to be his last Olympics and Malaysia's top shuttler Lee Chong Wei says his only aim is to deliver the country’s first ever-gold medal in badminton. Asked if he feels the pressure, Chong Wei said that "as the country’s top seed, the pressure to deliver is always there." "I know that I carry the dreams of all Malaysians to deliver the country’s first ever gold medal - I hope to be able to do it for the country and my people," he told Bernama here recently. The 2008 Beijing Olympic silver medallist revealed that the path towards glory at the London Olympics was never going to be easy as every game was going to be tough and Chong Wei said China would have three strong contenders - Lin Dan, Chen Long and Chen Jin. "When you are the top seed, the pressure is there in every game. I am used to it and have learnt to handle it well," said Chong Wei, who is still ranked as the world’s number one men's singles player. Although he suffered a shock defeat to up-and-coming Shon Wan Ho of South Korea at the India Open final, Chong Wei was unperturbed. "There are still three solid months to train for the London Olympics and I have a good chance to win. It's okay as this is my first game after my shoulder injury. There are three months before the Olympics," he said. The India Open was his first major tournament since he suffering a shoulder injury during the All England final in Birmingham, England. Prior to the London Olympics, Chong Wei will be in action for the country in the Thomas Cup Finals from May 20-27 and the Indonesian Super Series Premier from June 12-17. Meanwhile, national men’s doubles coach, Pang Cheh Chang, said younger Malaysian players need to learn to take up the responsibility now shouldered by Chong Wei. "That is the difference between Chong Wei and the junior players. Junior players (also) have to learn about character from him. I think the character is the most important thing and the capability to take up responsibility comes later," he said. Pang also lamented on the fact that Chong Wei does not have strong sparring partners locally, unlike Chinese players like Lin Dan. He said the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and the coaches may put in a lot of hard work but it would still depended on the junior players' desire and ambition to win. Pang felt that a strong replacement from among Malaysian junior players for the 29 year-old Chong Wei was still not in sight, when the Penang-born shuttler decides to retire after the Olympics. "It all depends on how far the (junior) players themselves want to go," said the coach adding that the men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, also needed more motivation. "Being able to know their own strength is very important. They need to be motivated further as they are going to face eight of the top pairs in the Olympics," he said. -- BERNAMA