Lee Chong Wei is determined to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo after a bittersweet conversation with one of his sons.
The 36-year-old shared the conversation on his official Facebook page after the 2019 Malaysian Open, which saw Lin Dan triumph past national compatriot Chen Long in the men's singles final.
"When I reached home last night, I showed my two boys, Kingston and Terence, the photos I took [from the event].
"When I showed them the photo of Lin, Chen and I [sic] on the podium, Terence shouted, 'Pa, it looks the same like the one you placed on the cabinet'.
"It was the photo of us during the 2012 Olympics. I was shaken. Despite being born in 2015, Terence has never seen me play in the Olympics.
"I hope your dad can show it to you next year, my son," he wrote.
Lee had played in the Summer Olympics four times, finishing as runner-up in three editions including the 2012 tournament in question when he lost to Lin Dan in the final in London.
His bid to secure his fifth Olympic appearance, however, could prove to be difficult after he withdrew from the Malaysian Open, which was suppposed to be his first competitive action since recovering from nose cancer.
The former world no. 1 was also ruled out of the upcoming Singaporean Open, with his return date yet to be confirmed.
Currently 44th in the world, Lee needs to be within the top 38 men's singles shuttlers in the BWF World Rankings by 30th April 2020 to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Seng Foo Lee
Mon Apr 08 2019
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