PETALING JAYA: Lim Chi Wing had quit badminton at the end of last year but could not resist coming out of retirement to compete in the National Championships where he had enjoyed great success.
The 28-year-old had captured the national men’s singles title twice in 2016 and 2017 and had decided to give it another go.
Chi Wing’s decision paid off when he stunned Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) Ong Ken Yon 19-21, 21-16, 21-15 to reach the quarter-finals at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
“To be honest, I didn’t have any expectations when I decided to compete in this tournament,” said Chi Wing, who is representing Kuala Lumpur.
“I quit the sport at the end of last year due to lack of a breakthrough and my advancing age.
“But I just wanted to get back the feeling of competing in a tournament.
“I was not thinking about winning but just wanted to enjoy the match against Ken Yon.
“I’m surprised that I managed to win as I only trained for a short while before the tournament while Ken Yon has been training regularly.
“The pressure was more on him and I feel this helped me to win.”
Chi Wing will take on another BAM player Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin today for a place in the semi-finals.
“It will be another tough match for me against Aidil,” said Chi Wing.
“In terms of stamina, I can’t compete with these younger players so I need to play smart.
On whether he will consider making a permanent comeback as a player, Chi Wing said: “No, for now, I’m focusing on my duties as a sparring partner for independent players, Cheam June Wei, Soong Joo Ven (men’s singles) and Goh Jin Wei (women’s singles) at Sports Affairs.
“I’m doing my best to help them qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. I’m also coaching kids privately. After the Olympics, I might either open my own academy or become a coach overseas.”
Meanwhile, Aidil avoided another upset by the skin of his teeth when he edged Mohd Taufik Mohd Atef Haikal 22-20, 22-20.
“I was too eager to finish the match and nearly paid the price,” said Aidil.
“Luckily, I managed to stay composed in the end of both game to win. I need to do better in my next match.”
Top seed Leong Jun Hao also made it safely into the last eight after beating fellow BAM teammate Hooi Shao Herng 21-17, 21-15.
Jun Hao will play independent player Lim Chong King next.
