MALAYSIAN SQUAD READY AFTER TRAINING IN BATH

It is all systems go for the Olympics for world No. 2 Lee Chong Wei and company after a week at their training camp at Bath University.

Chong Wei has shown no signs of the ankle injury which threatened to derail his quest for Olympic gold and should be more than ready to face the onslaught from China’s Lin Dan, Chen Long and Chen Jin.

The men’s pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong have also impressed in training with their attitude and work rate, and should be fired up to give their troubled partnership another chance.

BA of Malaysia (BAM) high performance director Datuk James Selvaraj believes the Bath training camp has been largely effective and served its purpose .

“The players are in good spirits and looking confident. Chong Wei has been training really well and showing no ill effects from his injury,” said James in a telephone interview from Bath.

“Obviously, there will be some psychological effect after an injury like that. But the coaches are working hard to ensure that he is mentally ready for the challenge ahead.

“We still have a few more days before we leave for London and we’re utilising all the time we have to push the players hard.

“We are still not sure how much training time is allocated to us at Wembley so we want to make full use of the time we have now.

“Overall, this training camp has been very successful and all the players are in great shape ahead of the Games,” added James.

BAM secretary and team manager Ng Chin Chai has backed the national shuttlers to achieve the one gold medal target.

“The diving or cycling teams may have a better outing in London but we’re still very much on course for the one gold target. We’re taking this challenge positively,” said Chin Chai.

“All this while the nation has relied on badminton to deliver a medal and the pressure has been intense. With other sports taking up the limelight, it should ease the pressure on the players.

“Despite the recent setbacks, Chong Wei and Kien Keat-Boon Heong still have a chance to enjoy a golden outing and everyone is focused on their objective.”