Kuala Lumpur: The World No. 1 Malaysian badminton superstar Lee Chong Wei along with Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying were presented with cash incentives by the Penang government on Thursday for their outstanding performances at the Rio Olympics.
At the reward ceremony, Lee was asked if he would continue to play until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He said that if his body was still in good shape and in top condition, he might join the competition. However, his current focus would be on the on the 2017 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Right now, I am getting ready for the Japan Open that will kick off in two weeks, then, I’ll turn my focus on the World Championships next year,” said Lee.
Lee also pointed out that 25-year-old Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin will be Malaysia’s next badminton hopeful.
“Iskandar Zulkarnain is the next best men’s singles badminton player in the country, and the future looks bright for him.”
Meanwhile, Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying said they were proud of their Olympic silver medal achievement as no one would have thought that the pair could play in the Olympic finals.
“It is definitely a big achievement for us, although I have to admit that we were a bit weak in the final against the Indonesian mixed doubles of Liliyana Natsir and Tontowi Ahmad, but it was a good experience for us,” said Chan Peng Soon.
Goh Liu Ying told reporters that she and Chan were paired up without proper planning, but after winning the Olympic silver medal, she was excited to have made her parents proud of her achievement as a badminton player.
In the incentives ceremony, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng presented RM150,000 to Lee, RM100,000 to Chan and RM25,000 to Goh.
