Eight not enough as Chong Wei eyes Olympic gold

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei won’t stop at winning eight home titles following his victory in the men’s singles final at the Maybank Malaysia Open presented by Proton on Sunday.

The Malaysian equalled his compatriot Wong Peng Soon’s record of eight men’s singles titles with his 41^st career tournament victory and 22 OSIM BWF World Superseries crown (right), when he crushed a shell-shocked Kenichi Tago (below), 21-6, 21-13 at Putra Stadium.
Immediately after his victory, Chong Wei declared he will try for a record ninth Malaysia Open title before quitting the sport in 2013, hopefully with an Olympic gold medal safely tucked away.
Known as the ‘King of the Superseries’ due to his dominant form in badminton’s premier tournaments – his 22 wins coming from just 62 Superseries men’s singles events – Chong Wei has made it known he cherishes the Olympic gold medal above all else, especially after falling short at the 2008 Olympic final.
“It feels great to have equalled a legend’s record and now I have set my sights on winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal,” said Chong Wei.
“I will sit down with my coaches and officials from the Badminton Association of Malaysia to chart out my course for the next six to seven months.
“There is the Thomas Cup and the All England, which are very important tournaments. I may play in one or two more tournaments but that’s it.
“All focus will be geared towards the London Olympics.”
Chong Wei’s other wins in the Malaysia Open came in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and last year.
Peng Soon won his first two Malaysia Open titles in 1940 and 1941 before a break due to World War II prevented him from continuing his career until 1947 where he once again won the crown. He then won five titles in a row from 1949 to 1953.
Tago, looked intimidated by the capacity crowd who generated tons of atmosphere and noise inside the venue.
“I tried my best today, but Chong Wei was just too good. The crowd (below), was also fantastic and very noisy,” said Tago, who has now lost all three of his Superseries final appearances to Chong Wei.