National men’s singles shuttler, Lee Chong Wei will be a bystander in the psychological warfare started by arch nemesis, Lin Dan and the other Chinese players as he gears up to hunt for Malaysia’s maiden gold medal to close out an illustrious career.
Singles coach, Tey Seu Bock said Chong Wei is not affected by Lin Dan’s mind games as the Chinese ace said he’ll take part at Tokyo 2020 if Chong Wei does the same.
“These sort of mind games won’t disrupt Chong Wei because he’s been in this sport for a long time and he knows well about the Chinese’s tactics when pressure is on the rise before the competition begins on Thursday,” he said after a training session in Rio.
The long-serving coach is confident that Chong Wei has matured as a player, especially after going through a doping scandal and coming back stronger from the eight-month ban to claim the world no. 1 spot. He believes that the Perak-born athlete will be able to handle the pressure in his fourth Olympic appearance.
“He is confident and is in good spirits. The secret here is how to handle the pressure on the day of competition. It’ll determine who will clinch the gold,” said Seu Bock.
The first-seeded Chong Wei is expected to face Lin Dan in the semi-final and Chen Long in the final. He was twice beaten by Lin Dan in the previous two finals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Chong Wei will begin his Olympic campaign in group A against Soren Opti of Suriname on Thursday.
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