After his semi-finals match against Lee Hyun-il of South Korea at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Chong Wei returned to the Games Village with the rest of the Malaysian badminton team and took his dinner at the athletes dining hall.
He did not catch the other semi-final match between Lin Dan and Chen Jin as coach Misbun Sidek preferred him to take an early rest.
Misbun also gave instructions to Chong Wei to remain in the Games Village yesterday. Chong Wei spent some time watching videos of his past matches against Lin Dan as he prepares for the showdown for the gold medal with the Chinese world number one today.
Team manager Datuk Lim Teong Kiat said: “He only jogged at the Games Village. There is no point going outside as everything is provided here. He still has a match to play and it's important for him to stay focused.”
Staying focused has been the mantra for the second seeded Chong Wei since he arrived in Beijing on Aug 5. He was seen as Malaysia's best hope for a medal. Now that he has ended the country's 12-year medal drought, Chong Wei will be out to take it a step further and win the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Malaysia.
It is the first time that the top two seeds will contest the men's singles badminton final since the sport made its debut in Barcelona in 1992.
And the pressure has intensified on Lin Dan after his girlfriend, Xie Xingfang, was beaten by defending champion Zhang Ning in the women's singles final yesterday.
The Star
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