Thai stint spurs Alex Lee to work harder
Training in stifling conditions with hardly a break prepares HK player for Youth Olympics
Alex Lee Cheuk-yiu's trip to Thailand was similar to the Monkey King's journey to the west - tough but rewarding.
To prepare for the Youth Olympic Games, Lee was sent for intensive training at the Banthongyod Badminton School in Bangkok last month. With no air-conditioning at the facility, it was a nightmare for the 18-year-old star at first.
"It was over 30 degrees Celsius and very hot inside the stadium. On the first four days, I was not feeling well and always running to the toilet to throw up during the training," said Lee, who is the number 10 junior in the world. "And then I started to get used to the temperature and intensity of the training."
It was over 30 degrees Celsius and very hot inside the stadium. On the first four days, I was not feeling well and always running to the toilet to throw up
Tim He Yiming, head coach of the Hong Kong team, said the purpose of Lee's trip was to train him to become more self-disciplined and help him build stronger willpower.
"He is a very gifted player. He is smart in handling his games and understands what the coaches teach him quickly," said He.
"But his intelligence has a flip side. Coaches can tell he sometimes thinks about ways to have less input in daily training, which is not good for his career."
The specially arranged training helped Lee learn from numerous top Thai players, including reigning women's world champion Ratchanok Intanon.
The bad habits have gone and Lee is now more proactive in his practice at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.