Ample Time For M'sia's Chong Wei To Reach Top Form, Says NSI

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- The two-week period before Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei sees action at the London Olympics is probably the most critical time to determine the national badminton ace's form, said National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz. He said that it was during this period that Chong Wei had to ensure that he was free from injury, apart from not being burdened with personal problems, so as to focus on the game. "The period from the time he sustained the injury at the Thomas Cup championship in May to the Olympics in July is about 64 days. The recuperating process of his injury is six weeks or 42 days. "Mathematically, from the first day he sustained the injury, minus the recovering period, Chong Wei has 22 days to return to peak form. "The usual duration is only 14 days. So, a 22-day period is sufficient for the player to reach competitive condition," he told Bernama here Friday. Dr Ramlan said that though Chong Wei was now ranked number two in the world, he had been not been tested physically in competitive tournaments but the player was committed to attending all training provided by the NSI. "As an example, in the first two to three weeks of his recovery, he was still having a phobia to go jogging. So, the NSI provided alternative training such as cycling and running in water to maintain his physical endurance," he said. Chong Wei, who won a silver medal at the men's singles in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, will be joining the national badminton squad in the final phase of training at Bath University, United Kingdom, on July 12. The squad will stay for 13 days at the university, located in Somerset, 156 km from London, before leaving for the British capital on July 25. The London Olympic Games will be held from July 27 to Aug 12. -- BERNAMA