Lin Dan expects Lee Chong Wei to recover for London Olympics – Badminton News
Men’s Singles maestro Lin Dan of China has wished Malaysian ace Lee Chong Wei a speedy recovery and hoped that he will grace London Olympics with his presence.
World Number one Chong Wei fell prey to ankle injury while he was stretching against Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark in Thomas Cup Finals and left for Malaysia to get proper treatment.
According to initial report, the badminton king may have to stay away from arena for three to four weeks.
The reigning World and Olympic Champion Lin Dan expressed his sorrow on this news and hoped that his friend will be able to swing arms in mega London Olympics.
He said, “It’s a pity that Chong Wei is injured. He’s my best friend and I hope he will recover quickly in time for the Games.”
They may be nemesis in boundaries of court but they also share a special bond of affinity off-court.
Both legends of the arena are expected finalists of London Games and Chinese campaigner does not want his competitor to miss this opportunity as they are likely to call it a day after the mega event.
The 29-year-old Lin Dan also added that players always undergo such injuries at this age.
Meanwhile, Chong Wei’s departure resulted in second Malaysian Singles campaigner Daren Liew facing Lin Dan in quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup.
Though, higher ranked Chinese shuttler swept the table but he had to wait for 55 minutes as his spirited challenger gave him a tough time in three gruelling sets.
Young Daren stunned his superior opponent in very first set and Lin Dan admired his skills by declaring him the true successor of Malaysian legend Chong Wei.
He said, “I managed to find my rhythm in the second and third games. But I must say that Daren has shown potential. Chong Wei will not be around for long and it looks like Malaysia can now rely on Daren.”
In this quarter-final match, World Number 33 Daren took off in perfect manner as he clinched first set with a respectable margin of 21-17 but his dominance was short lived as “Super” Dan proved his supremacy with commendable totals of 21-9 and 21-5 in second
and third set respectively.
Tags: