Lee Chong Wei Wins First Match at the Olympics

The group match for men’s singles badminton kicked off with a bang last night. Malaysians and their undying love and support for badminton cannot be separated, so naturally, it was one of the most anticipated events in the Olympics. Our only hope that’s competing in that category is none other than Dato’ Lee Chong Wei. We’re also rooting for him to bring home Malaysia’s maiden gold.

Image: Azhar Mahfof/The Star

The world number one badminton player took only 18 stunning minutes to defeat Surinam’s Soren Opti with a score of 21-2 and 21-3. He admitted that it was a relatively easy match against the 19-year-old. "It was a good start but I didn't put in much as it was against an opponent who didn't really test me. However, I was focused since I wanted to kick-start my campaign. I have put in four years of preparation into this and I want to make sure I do my best here,” Chong Wei told Astro Awani.

Image: Azhar Mahfof/The Star

He will later meet Singapore's Derek Wong Zi Liang on Sunday. The two-time Olympic silver medalist is expected to top his group and go straight to the quarter-finals. Chong Wei’s two arch rivals – Lin Dan and Chen Long also did very well and won their first match.

The good news from the badminton camp doesn’t end there, our top women shuttlers, Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei also gave shattering performance when they beat Heather Olver and Lauren Smith of England with a 21-17 and 24-22 score. This was their fifth win over the English duo. As for our male doubles, Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong, they also successfully clinched their first win against Germany’s Michael Fuchs and Johannes Schoettler.

Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei during their match at the Rio Olympics. (Image: The Star)

Image: Reuters

To top off our national badminton team’s remarkable journey, our mixed doubles, Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying also won their first round after beating Thailand’s Bodin Isara and Savitree Amitrapai. Guess it was a clean sweep for our Malaysian contingent in the first round of badminton. We hope our national shuttlers will continue their momentums and will go on to win medals or even our very first gold. Malaysia Boleh!