Rashid Sidek believes Chong Wei will be able to qualify for 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics
Now, when Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei has officially declared to continue for next two years, the national Singles coach Rashid Sidek thinks he can even go for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
World Number two Chong Wei was supposed to announce retirement immediately after the London Games but he decided to represent the country until 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The badminton guru Rashid Sidek appreciated his spirit and stated that the maestro can even raise the country’s flag in the next edition of the Olympics as he is in prime shape to participate in any world class event.
However, he also added that Chong Wei will have to avoid being injury prone as he will need more recovery time at this age.
Rashid said, "At the moment he is still physically in very good shape. He should be able to qualify. However, in the future we do not know if he will sustain any injuries that will affect him."
If, the badminton ace decides not to hang up his racket then probably he will be the only contender participating from the senior lot as most of his contemporaries like Lin Dan, Taufik Hidayat, Peter Hoeg Gade and Lee Hyun Il have decided to quit the game
in the near future.
However, it will not be a one-sided affair for Chong Wei as the Chinese shuttler Chen Long will be the biggest hurdle in his way to glory.
National coach Rashid also believes that he will have to put an extra effort as to win a gold medal in 2016 Olympics certainly will be an uphill task.
He said, “Contending for medals may be difficult and I do not know if he will be satisfied just being a contender as he has very high standards."
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Chong Wei also echoed his coach’s views and admitted that his participation in Rio Games purely depends on his physical condition.
He said, "I may decide to compete in Brazil. It will depend on my condition at the time. My level of fitness and ability to recover from matches will also be an important factor."
Moreover, he stressed that Badminton Association of Malaysia should launch special programmes to groom new junior shuttlers. He also offered his services to polish this raw talent.
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