GEORGE TOWN, Sept 1 ― Malaysian Olympic silver medallists, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying aim to train the next generation of badminton players following their spectacular performance at the recent Rio Olympics.
The three said they would discuss with their respective State Sports Council in Penang and Melaka to see if they could lend their expertise and experience in training young players in the sport.
“We will see what we can do and we hope that when our time to retire has arrived, we will have a solid next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen for the country,” said Chong Wei at a press conference in Komtar, here, today.
Asked if he would compete in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Chong Wei said if his body would still be in good condition, he might join the competition but currently his focus was on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland next year.
“I'm now concentrating on the Japan Open which will be held in the middle of this month, and after this I'll be focusing on the 2017 Badminton World Championships,” he said.
Chong Wei said currently, the country's “next best men's singles badminton player is Iskandar Zulkarnain, and there is bright hope for him to shine in future”.
Meanwhile, Peng Soon and Liu Ying said they were proud of their Olympic silver medal as they were considered the underdogs at the Rio Olympics.
“It is a big achievement for us, although I admit that we were a bit weak in the final against the Indonesian mixed doubles of Liliyana Natsir and Totowi Ahmad, but it was a good experience for us,” said Peng Soon.
Liu Ying said she was happy to have made her parents proud of her achievement as a badminton player.
She had before written on her Facebook page describing the wonderful opportunity to stand on the podium at the Olympic medals ceremony as a fantasy, as the mixed doubles team was put together without proper planning.
“Since young, I have always wanted to be a professional badminton player and now I have become what I set my mind to. It is a dream come true,” she said.
Peng Soon and Liu Ying also said that after the Olympics, their main focus now would be the same as Chong Wei's ― the 2017 Badminton World Championships.
Asked if they would be aiming for the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Liu Ying said they would do their best and move forward one step at a time.
“We will try our best, and of course, all badminton players want to win a gold medal at the Olympics,” she said.
Earlier, about 100 people had gathered at Penang International Airport to greet the trio's arrival.
The Penang state government has given RM150,000 to Chong Wei, RM100,000 to Peng Soon and RM25,000 to Liu Ying for their Olympic achievements. ― Bernama
