PETALING JAYA: The life of a shuttler is never easy as the road to success demands resilience, sacrifice and the right guidance.
Olympian Lee Meng Yean, who has walked that path, is now urging the next generation to embrace the grind.
The former women’s doubles player rose from the junior ranks to the world stage, playing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and reaching a career-high No. 10 with partner Chow Mei Kuan.
But the journey was far from smooth, and Meng Yean admitted it takes strong mental toughness, especially when dealing with long periods away from home.
"I moved to the Bukit Jalil Sports School from Melaka when I was 13, and that’s such a young age to be living away from home," said Meng Yean at her Future Champs Badminton Academy in Kepong on Sunday (March 29).
"I always wanted to go home and disliked playing because it was hard being alone, especially coming from outside of Kuala Lumpur."
But Meng Yean explained that achieving success had its price.
And when she joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) at 17, Meng Yean knew the road had just begun.
"The journey to BAM, and then to the Olympics, is not easy. There will be immense pressure and people saying things to put you down.
"But if a player truly wants to achieve their goal, they need to be strong mentally," said the 31-year-old.
Meng Yean’s trip down memory lane came when she was asked about women’s doubles shuttler Go Pei Kee’s departure from BAM recently.
Pei Kee, 23, left the national setup and returned to Johor in January and remains uncertain on her next steps, but has no plans on returning to BAM and is taking time to rediscover herself.
Meng Yean said having the right guidance proved vital in keeping her focus on the court.
"One of the important things for me was having a good coach. Players need someone to guide them and lead them forward in their next steps.
"Sometimes, more training becomes beneficial for players living away, as it gives them less time to think about home.
"But having a guiding figure in a coach helps tremendously. They keep checking in on the players and provide support while being away from their families," she said.
Meng Yean left BAM and retired in January 2022 after competing at the Tokyo Olympics the year before.
She was then appointed BAM women’s doubles coach in February 2022 before parting ways in November 2023.
