Sepang: Hundreds of fans packed the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) yesterday to welcome the Malaysia badminton squad who arrived home from the Thomas Cup championship in New Delhi at about 6.50pm on flight MH105 from Bangalore.
Upon arrival, the Malaysia shuttlers were greeted with flowers together with cheers and applause from the fans. Some supporters also chanted ‘Malaysia boleh’ near the KLIA arrival halls.
The squad also greeted the fans with big smiles and waves to the fans in the airport.
World number one, Lee Chong Wei was especially pleased to see his wife Wong Mew Choo and their son Kingston. Chong Wei said he was happy in general with the team performance in Thomas Cup Final.
“Massive well done to my teammates on their performances in the Thomas Cup Finals. However, we’ll need to work a lot harder in order take our games to the next level,” said Chong Wei.
“We’ve reached our initial target of semi-final. I hope the team could bounce back from the Thomas Cup Final lost and plays better in the future team events,” added Chong Wei.
National singles coach Tey Seu Bock also praised the team.
“No-one expected us to make the final and our team-spirit was great!”
When asked if he is going to play the 2016 Thomas Cup, he answered; “of course, it is my dream to win the Thomas Cup for Malaysia before I retired.”
BAM officials and the supporters were cooking up a little surprise for world No. 27 Chong Wei Feng who turned 27 yesterday by presenting a birthday cake to him.
“Thanks you all for the wonderful cake. Now I’m motivated to play my best for Malaysia in the upcoming tournaments,” said Wei Feng.
