Chong Wei to seek cancer all-clear before training
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei is to seek the all-clear from his doctors in Taiwan after his treatment for nose cancer, and probably won’t be back on the courts until next month, reports said yesterday.
Despite earlier comments from Malaysia’s badminton chief that Chong Wei’s return to the training courts was imminent, the 36-yearold said he still needed the green light from his specialists.
The three-time Olympic silvermedallist has spent nearly five months on the side lines after being diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer and undergoing proton therapy and chemotherapy in Taiwan.
“I need to go for my followup check- up with doctors in Taiwan later this month, and see what they say then,” Chong Wei was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper, adding that January looked like the earliest he could come back.
“I’ve been
I’ve been constantly keeping in touch with them and they have reminded me to take it easy and not to rush it because this is not an injury. It takes time. Lee Chong Wei, three-time Olympic silver-medallist
constantly keeping in touch with them and they have reminded me to take it easy and not to rush it because this is not an injury. It takes time.” The former long-time world number one also cast doubt on whether he will make good on his plan to make a competitive comeback at the All England Open in March. “My target is the All England, but I can’t really be sure I will come back by then,” said Chong Wei.
“My desire is there. But I can’t force things to happen. Everything depends on my condition as I’ve been out for almost five months now since I underwent my treatment in July.” The player, now down at 15th in the world rankings, has said that he is still eying an elusive Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Chong Wei’s unsuccessful attempts to capture Malaysia’s first ever Olympic gold medal, at three consecutive Summer Games, were followed avidly back home, as was his long-running rivalry with Chinese superstar Lin Dan. His last shot at the Olympic title at Rio 2016 ended in a crushing failure when the Malaysian lost out to China’s Chen Long in the final. Nose cancer is perhaps the biggest blow suffered by Chong Wei, who was banned after testing positive for a proscribed antiinflammatory at the 2014 world
championships.