Kuala Lumpur: Lee Chong Wei’s Olympic gold medal hopes have been dashed … twice by the same player – Lin Dan, both in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic men’s singles finals. While gearing up for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Lee Chong Wei’s coach Tey Seu Bock admitted that Lin Dan remained the major hurdle in Lee’s bid for his first-ever Olympic gold at Rio Games.
Although World No.1 Chen Long is now favored to win the gold compare to World No. 4 Lin Dan and World No. 5 Lee Chong Wei, Tey says Lin Dan knows exactly what and when to focus and to improve his game, and his mental toughness could make the difference.
“Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei are the only two players that have the mental strength to play at the highest level of Badminton. These two players are still steady and fit to compete against younger players,” said Tey.
“Lin Dan is more likely to take greater risks on the court and generate more unpredictability, while Chen Long has been consistently employ predictable patterns of play,” added Tey.
Tey also indicated 2016 would be a challenging year for him as he was assigned to prepare Lee for the Olympics and to develop other junior players in Malaysia.
“Both tasks of getting Chong Wei ready for the Rio Olympics and training the juniors are equally important. I must redouble my efforts to achieve success in both areas.”
