Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei advises Lee Zii Jia to focus on mental strength for Paris 2024
Former Malaysian badminton player Lee Chong Wei has insisted that mental preparation is as important as physical preparation for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Lee, who won three silvers in four Olympic Games, is sending a clear message to the Malaysian players set to compete in the badminton tournament at the Games next month, likely to include Lee Zii Jia, the top-ranked Malaysian men’s player, who sits eighth in the world.
"It is the highest glory,” Chong Wei told Timesport, “as such, you need to be ready, not just physically but mentally. As a former athlete, I can tell you that it feels completely different when you step foot in that Olympic village, where the first thing you see are the five-coloured rings.”
Malaysia’s players at Paris 2024 will be chasing an elusive first badminton gold for the country, which has previously won six silver medals and three bronze medals. Lee Chong Wei earned three of those silvers at Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016.
He added, "With less than 50 days to go before the Olympics, players don't learn new tricks or tactics: it's all about mental preparation now. Looking at our players and how they performed in recent tournaments, some did well, some didn't. The Olympics are different from any other tournament.”
The Olympic badminton competition runs from 27 July 2024 until 5 August 2024, to be held at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.