KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — As Malaysia rejoices Datuk Lee Chong Wei being world No 1 again, the badminton ace warned many will be looking to beat him at the Olympics.

“The latest ranking will see many top shuttlers wanting to play me at the Olympics, as this will likely be my last Olympics and they will definitely want to beat me,” said Chong Wei.

He stressed he will be focusing on building up mental strength, and named China’s Lin Dan and Chen Long, Danes Victor Axelsen and Jan O Jorgensen, as well as India’s Srikanth Kidambi as his main challengers.

After pulling out from the Australian Open, BA of Malaysia’s (BAM) technical director Morten Frost Hansen said Chong Wei is back to his normal training routine.

“We are not taking any risks with him, even though it may be a minor injury. We are glad to report he is doing well,” said Frost.

Chong Wei echoed Frost’s assessment, saying his preparations for the Olympics are going well.

“The Olympics is once every four years, which is why I decided to pull out of Australian Open to better prepare for it and avert aggravating the injury,” said Chong Wei, who has not yet decided if he will play in the Taiwan Open from June 28 to July 3.

“I must be fully fit and in top form to get the gold medal. Another major concern is the Zika virus, but I’m sure the Brazilian authorities will make sure everything is safe,” said Chong Wei, who added his wife, former national women’s shuttler Wong Mew Choo would not be joining him in Rio.

Apart from being world No 1, Chong Wei has done the country proud at the Olympics, earning silver medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics.

Chong Wei has set his sights on his first gold medal before retiring.

“No matter what I will do everything I can to make sure I bring home the gold,” said the 33 year old.

Meanwhile, the decision as to who will represent Malaysia in the women’s singles event has yet to be made.

“We will make a decision soon as to whether Tee Jing Yi or Goh Jin Wei will go. We will have a discussion on June 27,” said Frost.

Malaysia’s chef de mission (CDM) for the Olympics and BAM acting president, Tan Sri Mohamed Al Amin Abdul Majid  said after visiting Chong Wei in training yesterday he would visit all Olympic-bound athletes to assess their training before they leave for Brazil.

“This is my first visit as CDM. After badminton I will meet the swimming team and later the shooting team. Other sports in my list are diving and cycling but they are training overseas.

“I will check on the training of athletes, their preparations and things that need to be done before leaving to Rio on July 29,” he said.

 He said it was important for athletes to be in Brazil early to get acclimatised to weather conditions and visit venues.

Al Amin said 23 athletes have qualified for the Olympics, the latest being Heidi Gan in the 10km marathon swimming event after an impressive performance in Setubal, Portugal, last Sunday.

“We are looking at a contingent of about 30 athletes,” he said.