June Wei misses CNY reunion with family to train in Dubai

PETALING JAYA: No Chinese New Year celebration, no problem for independent shuttler Cheam June Wei (pic).

For the sake of his career, the 25-year-old has decided to forgo an opportunity to reunite with his family in Penang and instead, flew to Dubai to train alongside world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark at his training base until middle of February.

June Wei, who arrived on Friday, was thrilled to bits after completing his first training session with Axelsen and Co at the renowned Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex yesterday.

Other shuttlers who are part of Axelsen’s training camp include reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and 2021 All-England semi-finalist Mark Caljouw of Holland.

“It’s surely an eye-opening experience for me,” said June Wei when contacted yesterday.

“The facilities here are top notch and the training atmosphere here gives you positive vibes.

“I’m really grateful for this great opportunity to train along with Viktor, my best pal Kean Yew and other top shuttlers.

“Viktor is a fantastic host, I feel so welcomed here. Everyone’s so committed and is helping each other out.”

June Wei explained that he opted to resume training in Dubai than taking a break because he wanted to keep the momentum going.

June Wei had just completed participating in three tournaments in India, which ended with a last-16 exit at the Odisha Open in Cuttack.

He struggled to impress in the two earlier legs when he lost in the first round of Indian Open in New Delhi and was a quarter-finalist at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow.

It was in Delhi that June Wei had decided to make a trip to Dubai.

“I was with Kean Yew during the Indian Open and then the idea (of training in Dubai) popped up. Through Kean Yew, I got in touch with Viktor to ask if I could join him, and he said yes.

“I didn’t want to waste any more time because if I were to go back to Malaysia, there would be distractions such as the Chinese New Year celebration and the quarantine, then I would need to start from scratch again.

“Since leaving the national team (last November), I didn’t really have a systematic training. Joining Viktor in Dubai provides me with an ideal training atmosphere although it’s just two weeks.

“Also, it made more sense for me to travel to Dubai from India. The flight ticket isn’t that expensive.

“Initially, I wanted to base myself in Dubai all the way to March but the cancellation of the Spain Masters (March 1-6) forced me to change my plan. I’m currently preparing for my next trip to Europe for the Swiss Open (March 22-27) and Orleans Masters (March 29-April 3).”

June Wei is hoping that this Dubai stint, although a brief one, can help to rejuvenate his game.

It’s worth pointing out that several players seemed to have benefited from their stints with Axelsen.

The most apparent examples were Kean Yew and India’s Lakhsya Sen, who emerged bronze medallist at the World Championships in Huelva last December.

Prior to that, Lakhsya failed miserably in the Indian national team trials which resulted in him missing out on the squad to the Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup Finals.