KUALA LUMPUR: National badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei wants to focus on bringing back his fitness and muscular strength before raising the intensity of training on the court.
Chong Wei, who was holding a racket for the first time during his first training session in the Malaysian Badminton Academy (ABM) this morning, since recovering from nose cancer, said, currently, the medical officer only allowed him to undergo light training.
‘’For the time being, the doctor only allows me to undergo light training or at a 30% level of normal training which I did prior to this. I will increase on the difficulty of training gradually depending on suitability because I feel the skill is already there, only to get back strength and fitness.
‘’I have discussed with coach Hendrawan and Datuk Misbun Sidek to focus on gym training to build muscles and strength due to loss of muscular strength since several months ago,’’ he said when met by reporters after a training session at ABM, Bukit Kiara today.
The 36-year-old player who turned up at ABM at 8.15am today, underwent routine training for two hours on the court before continuing his training at the gymnasium for another two hours.
The three-time Olympics silver medal winner also admitted that the court felt quite big upon stepping foot on it for the first time since July.
‘’I felt the court was quite big, it is quite normal as I was entering it after five or six months. I feel I need a little bit more time for everything to return to normal. For starters, I will only train three or four times a week,’’ he said.
The player, who is from Penang, started his training last Friday via a recovery session at the ABM gymnasium, after being confirmed to have stage one nose cancer in July.
His last appearance was when he lost to Kento Momota of Japan, who is now the number one in the world, at the semi-finals of the Indonesian Open in July, a week after beating the same player to win the Malaysian Open for the 12th time.
Chong Wei, currently, has been confirmed to have fully recovered from his ailment after undergoing almost four months of treatment in Taiwan.
National men’s singles coach Hendrawan was happy and proud at the spirit exhibited by Chong Wei.
However, the former world champion said Chong Wei needed a little bit more time to get back his touch before he could start thinking about the championships he would be taking part in following his illness.
‘’I am happy and proud of him. Surely, his determination to return is something very positive. His skill will not disappear but as he has not been training for a long time it will be tough at the outset. It is normal, and things will be back to normal in one or two months,’’ he added. — Bernama
