Chong Wei unperturbed by Chinese antics, says coach

RIO DE JANEIRO: Gold medal hopeful, Datuk Lee Chong Wei is unfazed by the psychology warfare of his nemesis Lin Dan or other Chinese shuttlers ahead of his bid for a golden farewell in the Rio Olympic Games here.

National singles coach, Tey Seu Bock says Chong Wei is unperturbed by the mind games of Lin Dan who had said that he would be around if Chong Wei competes in Tokyo Olympics 2020.

"This kind of mind games will not affect Chong Wei as he has been in the sport for a long time and knows the styles and tactics of the Chinese players as pressure builds up when the sport begins this Thursday," he said after a training session at Pavilion 4, Riocentro here on Monday.

He believes Chong Wei is a different player after his eight-month doping suspension last year and has gone through a lot to be where he is now.

Having trained the world number one in and out since 2002, the coach believes Chong Wei can handle the pressure and demands in his fourth appearance, albeit not winning the elusive gold medal.
"His spirit is high and confidence level too is good. The secret is how to handle the pressure on match day. It's the decisive moments that counts, on who can pick the gold here," he said.

Chong Wei is likely to meet Lin Dan in the semi-finals and possibly Chen Long in the final. He lost twice to Lin Dan in the final of the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games.

However, Seu Bock says there is no secret weapon for Chong Wei this time around as all the players who qualified for the Olympics knew each other's style of play as they have been squaring off in many tournaments over the years.

Based on his observation of his prodigy, he says Chong Wei is better prepared compared to his previous Olympic outing and now matured to take on the challenge.

On his preparation here, he said it was good that the shuttlers came early to Rio and have benefited a lot by getting used to the weather and the competition venue.

Chong Wei will begin his Group A campaign on Thursday against Soren Opti of Surinam and Derek Wong of Singapore on Sunday. — Bernama