Source: The Star
SINGAPORE: As the world's No 2 ranked male badminton player, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei is regarded as one of his country's best hopes to win a medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Over the last 12 months, Lee won four times and finished runner-up on three other occasions in the Super Series circuit.
At the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Thursday, Lee beat compatriot Wong Choong Hann 17-21, 21-5, 21-9 to move into the quarter-finals of the US$200,000 ($275,909) Aviva Open Singapore 2008 Badminton Championship, the final Super Series tournament to offer ranking points for the Olympics, which will be held in Beijing from Aug 8-24.
The top seed is on course for a shot of confidence ahead of the Games, much needed he says as he is already feeling the pressure.
Speaking after his win, the 25-year-old said: "The Olympics happen once every four years, and there is a lot of pressure and expectation on me to win.
"The whole of Malaysia wants a medal, preferably gold, and I really do not want to disappoint them.
"To be honest, I do think a lot about it. There is a lot of pressure."
Lee, who stands at 1.74m tall, is coached by former Malaysian great Misbun Sidek.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia hired sports psychologist Frederick Tan to specifically manage Lee's mental well-being and the two have been working together for 18 months.
Said the Perak-born shuttler: "My target for the Beijing Olympics is to win a medal and the key, I believe, is mental strength.
"Having Frederick around has helped the mental side of my game tremendously.
"Many people don't see the difference a sports psychologist makes. After a match, especially when I've not done well, a lot of people will try to console me and offer comforting words.
"But sometimes, these words are useless to me.
"Frederick however, can understand how I'm feeling from an athlete's perspective and offer constructive advice on how I can be mentally stronger."
Both Lee and Wong will be Malaysia's representatives in the men's singles competition in Beijing. Based on Thursday's result, it is clear Lee is the better bet for a medal. After losing the first set, he moved up a couple of gears to win the tie in 40 minutes.
"I took a while to get started, but I wasn't too worried as I've never lost to him in a singles' match since I was 21," said Lee.
Lee will face Denmark's Joachim Persson in the quarter-finals on Friday.
"I'm not thinking about whether I can win this, but I'm using the tournament to gain more confidence and a sense of the competition as part of my final preparations for the Olympics," he said.
Lee made his debut at the Olympics in 2004 in Athens, when he fell to China's Chen Hong in the last 16.
On his chances of success in Beijing, he said: "China will still be the overwhelming favourites. I just hope the judging will be fair to everyone."
SINGAPORE: As the world's No 2 ranked male badminton player, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei is regarded as one of his country's best hopes to win a medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Over the last 12 months, Lee won four times and finished runner-up on three other occasions in the Super Series circuit.
At the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Thursday, Lee beat compatriot Wong Choong Hann 17-21, 21-5, 21-9 to move into the quarter-finals of the US$200,000 ($275,909) Aviva Open Singapore 2008 Badminton Championship, the final Super Series tournament to offer ranking points for the Olympics, which will be held in Beijing from Aug 8-24.
The top seed is on course for a shot of confidence ahead of the Games, much needed he says as he is already feeling the pressure.
Speaking after his win, the 25-year-old said: "The Olympics happen once every four years, and there is a lot of pressure and expectation on me to win.
"The whole of Malaysia wants a medal, preferably gold, and I really do not want to disappoint them.
"To be honest, I do think a lot about it. There is a lot of pressure."
Lee, who stands at 1.74m tall, is coached by former Malaysian great Misbun Sidek.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia hired sports psychologist Frederick Tan to specifically manage Lee's mental well-being and the two have been working together for 18 months.
Said the Perak-born shuttler: "My target for the Beijing Olympics is to win a medal and the key, I believe, is mental strength.
"Having Frederick around has helped the mental side of my game tremendously.
"Many people don't see the difference a sports psychologist makes. After a match, especially when I've not done well, a lot of people will try to console me and offer comforting words.
"But sometimes, these words are useless to me.
"Frederick however, can understand how I'm feeling from an athlete's perspective and offer constructive advice on how I can be mentally stronger."
Both Lee and Wong will be Malaysia's representatives in the men's singles competition in Beijing. Based on Thursday's result, it is clear Lee is the better bet for a medal. After losing the first set, he moved up a couple of gears to win the tie in 40 minutes.
"I took a while to get started, but I wasn't too worried as I've never lost to him in a singles' match since I was 21," said Lee.
Lee will face Denmark's Joachim Persson in the quarter-finals on Friday.
"I'm not thinking about whether I can win this, but I'm using the tournament to gain more confidence and a sense of the competition as part of my final preparations for the Olympics," he said.
Lee made his debut at the Olympics in 2004 in Athens, when he fell to China's Chen Hong in the last 16.
On his chances of success in Beijing, he said: "China will still be the overwhelming favourites. I just hope the judging will be fair to everyone."
