Malaysian coach Tey Seu Bock believes that Lee Chong Wei can continue until 2016 Olympic Games
Tey Seu Bock, the Singles national coach of Malaysia, is optimistic that country’s top shuttler Lee Chong Wei will continue playing until the 2016 Olympic Games. However, he also said that all will depend on the physical condition of the shuttler.
The 29-year-old Chong Wei, who is positioned at number two in Men’s Singles world placements, won the silver medal at the London Olympics 2012 which is his second medal in a row as he also finished as the finalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Chong Wei tried his level best to win Malaysia’s first ever gold medal at Olympic but China’s Lin Dan again came in his way at London Olympics, just like in Beijing in 2008, and took the title.
There were rumours that Chong Wei will quit playing next year but the shuttler firmly played down these speculations by saying that he will continue playing until 2014 and will see if he still remains fit for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Nevertheless, Seu Bock is quite hopeful that Chong Wei will make it to the next edition of Olympics but he also said that his physical fitness will determine all that.
The coach said that he will support Chong Wei if the shuttler wants to continue playing until 2016.
He stated, “If he wants to play until 2016, and if his condition is still fine, I will definitely support his decision.”
He also added, “But we’ll have to take things slowly now because he’s not that young anymore and his recovery period is longer. Chong Wei is an aggressive player and that will take a toll on his body.”
While talking about Chong Wei’s training, the coach said that training will start after the gap of one week.
He also said, “Right now, however, it’s time for a break – one week to be exact – before he returns to training.”
Chong Wei’s decision to continue playing for another at least two years will provide a cushion to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to nurture the back-up players and replace the top shuttler effectively when he retires from competitive badminton.
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