Friday, April 19, 2024

Malaysia's Lee on right track for Rio, says coach

Malaysia's Lee on right track for Rio, says coach
June 7, 2016
KUALA LUMPUR - After picking up a sixth Indonesia Open title and guaranteeing a return to the top of the badminton world rankings, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei is on the right track for the Rio Olympics but there is still work to be done, his coach said. Lee, who lost the last two Olympic singles finals to China's Lin Dan, beat Denmark's Jan Jorgensen in the final in Jakarta and will leapfrog China's Chen Long when the world rankings are released this week. The 33-year-old, who has withdrawn from this week's Australian Open, the last major tournament before the Olympic Games, had come through one of the hardest games of his career against the Dane, said national coach Hendrawan. "The Indonesia Open final was one of Chong Wei's toughest matches because Jorgensen was at his very best," Hendrawan told southeast Asian media. "This win definitely puts Chong Wei on the right track in his preparation for the Olympics, with two more months to go. "We still have to work on tactics, physical training and how to handle the pressure." Lee returned to action in May last year after a backdated eight-month doping ban for testing positive for dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, at the 2014 world championships. -Reuters