The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Chong Wei puts on ‘weight’ and it suits him fine
- Revitalised Indonesia a great concern, warns world No. 1
- Shuttlers kicked out of training venue as Sukma takes precedence
| Chong Wei puts on ‘weight’ and it suits him fine Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:50 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei is putting on "weight" in his bid for glory at the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, from Aug 5-11. The 30-year-old has been wearing a new and funky high-tech performance suit in training since last week. Named Lila, it is a locally-made brand and created by Joseph Dolcetti, a former head of the conditioning department at the National Sports Institute (NSI). Weights are attached to the suit, which uses the Exogen technology (High Performance Exoskeletons), and the wearer can load up to 10% of his body weight. "Age is catching up. So, I am game to try out anything new in sports science to give me power and speed to keep up with the youngsters. Why not embrace it if it helps. I have tried Lila and I am comfortable with it," said Chong Wei, the first Malaysian athlete to adopt the new weight training programme. He wore the suit yesterday during his on court training under the watchful eyes of coach Tey Seu Bock, Dolcetti and Sean Sturgess, the NSI's physical trainer. "I really feel like an ironman," he said, flashing a smile. "This is a different form of weight training compared to the ones we do. The shirt is comfortable and not bulky. I am able to attach different amount of weights at different parts of my body. "When I remove it, I feel very light. Ultimately, I hope I will be able to increase my speed and movement on court," said Chong Wei. |
| Revitalised Indonesia a great concern, warns world No. 1 Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:25 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia's re-emergence as a badminton powerhouse is a great concern for world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei. In the just-concluded Singapore Open, Indonesia clinched three titles with 25-year-old Tommy Sugiarto scoring a first in his career by winning the men's singles crown. The other two titles were won by in-form Mohd Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan in the men's doubles and the ever-dependable Ahmad Tantowi-Lilyana Natsir in the mixed doubles. In Chong Wei's absence, Malaysia's best performer was Chong Wei Feng who lost to Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the quarter-finals. Two others – Daren and Mohd Arif Abdul Latif – were beaten in the first round. It was even worse in the men's doubles with Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem going out in the first round. Chong Wei said yesterday the appointment of Rexy Mainaky as the high performance director could see Indonesia challenging for more honours in the future. "Indonesia are doing well right now. Taufik Hidayat retired at the recent Indonesian Open and then Tommy won his first Super Series title on Sunday. The timing could not have been better. It was a good start for Tommy. "The Indonesians now have several up-and-coming men's singles players who are stepping out of the shadows of the seniors. Even Dionysius (Hayom Rumbaka) is doing well. We also saw some good results from their doubles department. I believe they are going to be a force again," warned Chong Wei. Last year, Indonesia returned home empty-handed for the first time from the London Olympics since badminton made it as an Olympic sport at the 1992 Barcelona Games. On top of that, they also failed to make the semi-finals for the first time in the Thomas Cup Finals. Following Rexy's resignation as Malaysia's men's doubles coach, the All-Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) quickly grabbed him to revive their fortunes. Since his appointment in April, Indonesia have produced some excellent results. He made a number of crucial decisions, including recruiting former players to be coaches and officials and allowing the independent players to represent the country. "Rexy was with us (for more than seven years). But since returning to Indonesia, there have been some positive changes there. It is important to have a leader who can oversee and manage the team. If the team is united, I am sure the players will also be encouraged to go the extra mile," added the 30-year-old. For Chong Wei, he hopes Daren and Wei Feng will step-up for the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, from Aug 5-11. "Wei Feng's performance is more stable now. He has been reaching the quarter-finals quite consistently but we hope he will be able to go further. Daren's outing in Singapore was demoralising but I hope he will bounce back. He is already 26 and it is time for him to raise his level of performance." |
| Shuttlers kicked out of training venue as Sukma takes precedence Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:24 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: The World Championships-bound shuttlers were not smiling after a hard day's work at their national training centre in Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara yesterday. Besides having to deal with the worsening haze in the country, they have been told that they cannot use the stadium from today onwards as it will be used for the 16th Malaysia Games (Sukma). The Games begin on Thursday and the netball event will be held there. The shuttlers, who are preparing for the world meet in Guangzhou from Aug 5-11, can only resume training at the stadium on July 8. With the move to accommodate Sukma, the national coaches will now have to find their own venues for training. It will also mean that the singles and doubles players will not be training together. All of them will now have to travel from their hostel to all the different venues, raising the risk of getting injured. Even the 60 members of the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) junior programme are affected as they will have to move to another venue. The players are preparing for the Asian Junior Championships in Sabah next month. A player, who chose to remain anonymous, said: "Is Sukma or the World Championships more important? For us, the world meet is a major event and we just have a few more weeks to prepare. "The Badminton Association of Malaysia should have known that this is not the right time for them to move us around. "There is also the risk of getting injured. The environment for training will also not be as conducive as the national centre. "One cannot help but feel like a football, being kicked around. Then, they keep telling everyone they are providing the best facilities and support. It is high time that we get our own centre so that we do not have to face problems like this." On the haze condition in the country, world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei said they were taking all the necessary precautions. "We are taking plenty of fluid and are avoiding spending time outdoors. The haze has even seeped through inside the stadium. "Some of us are having breathing difficulties and our coaches are tapering down some of our workouts during training. "We just have to make do with the situation and not let it hamper our preparations," added the two-time Olympic silver medallist. |
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