Badminton world No 1 Lee Chong Wei has learned how to accept defeat, but the stakes have never been higher as he seeks to become Malaysia's first Olympic champion.
Four years after his crushing defeat by arch rival Lin Dan in the Beijing Olympics final, Lee is hoping to go out in a blaze of glory before retiring next year.
'The pressure is on as the Games are less than six months away,' said Lee, who is leading his country in the Thomas and Uber Cup Asia zone qualifiers in Macau where they defeated Hong Kong 3-2 in group D yesterday.
'I have made a convincing start in 2012, but the real test will not come until July. At stake is a bonus of HK$2.8 million for a gold medal and the privilege of becoming the first Malaysian Olympic champion.'
Ranked No 1 in the world before the Beijing Games, Lee was overwhelmed in the Olympic final by 'Super Dan' 21-12, 21-8. Lee said he had changed a lot since the defeat by China's golden boy. 'I used to cry after losing and now I must say there is only one champion and everyone has to accept defeat if they are not good enough,' he said. 'But it doesn't mean I don't have the determination to win an Olympic gold medal. My target is to complete the mission in London.'
Lee, who has announced he will retire next year, launched a new book last month, Dare To Be A Champion.
'I am still hungry for success as you can tell from the title of my new book. I want to beat Lin Dan and Chen Long of China who are probably the two biggest obstacles in London this summer,' he said.
