Off the Cuff - Olympic gold - it’s now or never

THE Rio de Janeiro Olympics which begins on Saturday marks 60 years of Malaysia's participation on the world's greatest sporting stage but we have yet to win a gold medal.
We came close to creating history in the last two Olympics when Datuk Lee Chong Wei lost both times to his nemesis, China's Lin Dan, in the men's singles badminton finals.
Once again, the spotlight is on Chong Wei; if ever Malaysia is to win that first Olympic gold, it can only come from badminton.
It's the only Olympic sport that Malaysia is of world ranking and even then, time is running out because Chong Wei who turns 34 in October is considered an "old man" in a physically punishing sport like badminton.
This is his final Olympic appearance and the Elvis Presley song, It's Now or Never, says it all.
More than anyone else, Chong Wei knows the pressure of carrying the hopes of 30 million Malaysians.
He, too, knows that if he fails again and once he hangs his racquet after Rio, it's goodbye to our first Olympic gold.
"I feel more pressure on my shoulders because after the next four years I think I have no chance, so this is my last chance," said Chong Wei in Rio earlier this week.
"I feel I can do well in my fourth and final Olympics. I have learnt over the years how to deal with pressure. I will fight in every match and if I lose after giving my best, it's perhaps fated."
I have been an avid follower of badminton for over 50 years and on this account I beg to disagree with Chong Wei that in such an intensely fought men's singles badminton final in the Olympics, the outcome hinges on fate.
Only a few points normally separate the outcome of a final between two great players and it boils down to match strategy and winning mentality.
I can only define winning mentality here as the factor that enabled minnows Leicester City to beat all the odds to emerge English Premier League champions.
Being ranked world's No. 1 for so long and top-seeded for the Rio Olympics, Chong Wei of course has that winning mentality but it falls short every time he faces Lin Dan.
While Chong Wei seems to be particular about maintaining his top ranking by taking part in virtually all major competitions, Lin Dan is selective. Lin Dan's strategy has served him well because he delivers where it matters most by winning the World Championship and Olympics.
He is always fit for the big match while Chong Wei at times has injury problems.
To badminton pundits like me, Chong Wei looked "tired" and uninspiring in court when he fell to Lin Dan in the finals of the last two Olympics. Compare this with Lin Dan, ever so confident and menacing coupled with the notion that although he prefers to be ranked lower than Chong Wei, he is for all intents and purposes, the better player.
Badminton purists would rate Lin Dan as the greatest badminton player ever just as Chong Wei is without a doubt, Malaysia's greatest ever sportsman.
But in Rio, there won't be another Lin Dan and Chong Wei final. By the luck of the draw, both could face each other in the semi-finals which makes landing that first gold medal for Malaysia even more elusive.
Lin Dan being Lin Dan whom China can always count on to strike at the right time and place, my money is on him to once again beat Chong Wei should the semi-final clash happen.
"The draw is okay with me compared to others but I want to take it one match at a time. I know Lin Dan is in the same half as me but I don't want to think until the semis yet," said Chong Wei.
To Chong Wei, I say you can still make it if you go out there with greater confidence than what you showed in the Beijing and London Olympics finals and of course, barring any injury.
To our coaches, I would add that Chong Wei should not adopt the same strategy when he plays Lin Dan as he does with the others.
It's only a few points that will decide the outcome and the coaches have to work on areas where the Chinese superstar is "vulnerable". I say this because this does not seem to happen when Chong Wei faces Lin Dan.
This time we have the great Dane, Morten Frost Hansen, as the key coach and please Morten, put that winning mentality where and when it matters most.
Like I said earlier, winning a badminton match is not about luck or fate. Badminton is not a lottery.
An Olympic gold medal is sport's ultimate prize and Malaysia must have spent billions on sports development all these years and it's an irony somewhat that all we have got to show as a gold medal prospect is Chong Wei.
It's a do-or-die battle for Chong Wei who carries the hopes of the entire nation.
Our only other world champion, squash player Nicol David, perhaps sums up most eloquently the worth of an Olympic gold as a reflection of her sadness over the failure of squash to be accorded an Olympic sport status.
"I have won eight World Open and five British Open titles but I would gladly trade all those titles for just one Olympic gold," she once said.
So Chong Wei, think of Elvis' It's now or never.
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