Lee Chong Wei wants back-up shuttlers to step up before his retirement from competitive badminton
Lee Chong Wei, the top shuttler from Malaysia, wants the back-up shuttlers to step up and become world beaters before his retirement as he has shown his intention to quit playing competitive badminton in 2014.
Chong Wei, who is number two in the Men’s Singles world placements, has recently clinched silver medal in London Olympics as he lost the final match against Lin Dan of China who grabbed gold medal for the second time in a row at the mega event.
The 29-year-old Chong Wei is looking forward to focus on the next year’s World Championships and will also participate in Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2014.
Besides Chong Wei, there is no other player from Malaysia who is even close to Chong Wei in all aspects of the game. He has set high standards for himself which enabled him to challenge the world.
Now Chong Wei wants the back-up shuttlers to put in extra effort and replace him before his retirement in order to meet the best in the world.
The Malaysian hero wants young shuttlers to prove their worth at international arena by giving their best in training sessions which will let them grow in the arena of top shuttlers of the world.
Chong Wei said, “The search for the next Malaysian champion must be stepped up. I won’t be playing forever and we must ensure that there are players coming through the ranks to take over.”
He further added, “BAM have a new system in place and are looking at grassroots development in greater detail. There are quite a number of coaches who have come into the fold and are willing to help. But unless a concerted effort is made, we will not be
able to unearth and nurture players who have the potential to become world beaters.”
Chong Wei also expressed that the back-up shuttlers like the World Number 27 Daren Liew, Chong Wei Feng, Mohamed Arif Abdul Latif and some others showed get more exposure in order to elevate their level which is quite essential to live up to the expectations
and to cope up with the top shuttlers from leading nations like China, Denmark, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.
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