MALAYSIA’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan shook hands and exchanged greetings and pleasantries when they met at the Wembley Arena for the first time on Saturday.
But that friendship and mutual respect will be pushed aside as the top two seeds try to live up to their status in the World Badminton Championships, which begin today at a venue where many past greats had left their marks.
It will be tougher for Chong Wei to gun for glory than it is for the three-time champion Lin Dan. That’s because Chong Wei will be carrying the weight of expectations of the whole nation after failing to lift the title in his last five attempts.
Pressure, injuries and the lack of match temperament have all been cited as reasons for Chong Wei’s repeated failures.
Main hope: Lee Chong Wei will open his World Championships campaign today against Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk.This time it is different. He has enjoyed a good season, having won six titles over the last six months, including the breakthrough win over Lin Dan in the final of the All-England.
Even the 10-day training stint in Bath was like a breath of fresh air for Chong Wei, as far as his preparation was concerned.
National coach Rashid Sidek agreed that Chong Wei was focused and looked confident and he is hoping for a strong finish too.
“Past experiences showed that we have always come short at the last hurdle. The competition begins tomorrow (today) and it will be a challenge for Chong Wei to contain all kind of emotions as he takes it one day at a time,” said Rashid.
“Of course, we want him to win but we are also aware of all the pitfalls that are ahead of him. We will ensure that Chong Wei will be wary of every opponent and stay out of injury.”
SOURCE : Thestar
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