Difficult for Malaysians to land a medal in next two biggies

Back in the limelight: The re-emergence of Japan’s Kento Momota means the battle for medals at the World Championship and the Asian Games will be extremely tough especially for Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei.

BANGKOK: Going by the strong performances of China and Japan and other nations at the just-concluded Thomas Cup in Bangkok, Malaysia’s veteran and best medal prospect Lee Chong Wei will be hard-pressed to land on the podium in the World Championship and the Asian Games badminton tournaments.

On Sunday, China defeated a vastly improved Japan 3-1 to win the Thomas Cup.