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Malaysia's Lee and Wong to Receive Words of Encouragement from Teammates
In a scheme devised to boost their mental strength, Malaysian shuttlers Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo can look forward to receiving regular words of encouragement from their teammates in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.
| From July onwards, every singles player in the Malaysian national team, as well as the reserve squads, must take turns to write encouraging notes to the two players. They must write something nice about them and keep their spirits high as they go through intense preparation for one of the biggest tournaments of their lives. Lee, the world number two, is among the favourites for the gold medal at Beijing and he recently admitted that the pressure of trying to become Malaysia's first-ever gold winner is getting to him. According to The Star newspaper, the program is the idea of team mental trainer Frederick Tan, who hopes the friendly notes will help the two players deal with the pressure. He wants Lee and Wong to know that the whole team is behind them as they pit their wits and skills against top players from China, Indonesia, South Korea and Europe. First up with a note was Roslin Hashim, according to Tan. "I have given him (Roslin) a piece of paper and he has to write something to encourage these Olympic-bound players," said Tan. "It will be good for Chong Wei and Mew Choo to hear positive messages every day. They will know that they are not alone in their mission to win at the Olympics. It is a good activity to show that everyone cares and support these players. "Mental preparation is really important, especially as the players prepare for a big event like the Olympics. My job is just to help them feel more relaxed in their approach." Lee has been Malaysia's premier player over the past few months. However, his status as one of the Olympic favourites was firmly established during the Thomas Cup finals in Jakarat in May. That was when he defeated world number one Lin Dan, of China, as Malaysia lost 3-2 to the Chinese in the semi-finals. However, Lin will be boosted by his home crowd in Beijing, who will also be supporting fellow men's singles players Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin. |
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