March 5: NST THE gold medal is his for the taking but over-confidence is something shuttler Lee Chong Wei desperately wants to avoid in his pursuit of the men’s singles title in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Chong Wei, the World No 2, faced a similar situation in the Manila Sea Games last year where he was the favourite to win his first singles gold but ended up settling for bronze. Newcomer Simon Santoso of Indonesia came from nowhere to beat the two-time Malaysian Open champion and it was a lesson well learnt. In Melbourne, compatriot Wong Choong Hann and Singapore’s Ronald Susilo are the major threats but a cautious Chong Wei has even included the likes of Aamir Ghaffar of England and Chetan Anand of India as players who could be stumbling blocks. "I am aware that my chance to clinch gold is good but I don’t want to take things for granted. Not after what happened in the Sea Games," said Chong Wei. "I could not win the singles gold in Manila but I will stay focused and go for the Commonwealth Games gold. "Choong Hann and Ronald, if he is playing, are my main rivals but players from India and England’s Aamir are also good. " Chong Wei has not lost to Choong Hann in the last three years while Ronald, carrying a serious knee injury, is a shell of the player he once was. It might just get better for Chong Wei as Malaysia are gold medal contenders in the mixed team event where the four-time national champion will lead the charge. "I’m just aiming for one gold but it will be a huge bonus if we can win the team event. "However, my first job is to not get carried away and concentrate on the final week of preparation." —
