Former world number one shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei believes that the lack of fresh talent within the country is directly proportional to the amount of focus that’s given towards developing junior players.
Chong Wei pointed out and conceded that there’s a major gulf in class between himself other men’s singles player within the country. And he believes that focusing on developing the junior players is the only solution to the problem.
“We are aware that there is a huge gap between me and the other singles players in the country but we must not lose sight of the juniors or stop supporting them,” he said as quoted from Bernama.
“Apart from upcoming players like (Chong Wei Feng and Iskandar Zulkarnain), we must also focus on junior players.
“I can only assist them as much as I can before I retire by sharing my experience because they too will have coaches, just like me. Young players must be disciplined.
“I understand that youngsters are involved in many activities, even at night but we need to be disciplined. If we’re not disciplined, we cannot start training as early as 6.30am. The success of any athlete depends on the individual’s training and discipline,” he added.
Malaysia is the final stop of the ‘Yonex Legend’s Vision’ program, though only three out of the four ‘Badminton Legends’ could make it here. Lee Chong Wei, Indonesia’s Taufiq Hidayat, and Denmark’s Peter Gade will be hosting several badminton-related events with fans and young players within the country. Lin Dan is absent, due to an injury that he picked up not so long ago.
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