World No 7 Lee Zii Jia will leave no stone unturned in his bid to become the Asian champion in Manila next week.
That is his goal despite the Thomas Cup Finals taking place in Bangkok from May 8-15, just after the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) from April 26-May 1.
Asked if he would hold back in the Asian meet to avoid getting injured before the Thomas Cup Finals, former All England champion Zii Jia said: "No, I will go all out.
"This is my first Asia Championship, it's a massive tournament. But like any other event, I always give everything I have."
The Badminton World Federation have upgraded the BAC from a World Tour Super 500 event to a Super 1000 event this year.
Zii Jia, 24, is eager to add more World Tour titles to his name as he has won only two — the 2018 Taiwan Open and 2021 All England despite being in world top 10 for more than two years.
The last time he was out competing, Zii Jia failed to defend his All England crown, reaching only the semi-finals. He also exited at the same stage in the German Open semi-finals.
With the BAC being a Super 1000 event, Zii Jia will have plenty to play for. Success in Manila could see him overtake China's Chen Long at No 6 on the world ranking.
If Zii Jia captures the Asian Championships men's singles title, he will emulate the feats of five compatriots: Lee Chong Wei (2006, 2016), Foo Kok Keong (1994), Rashid Sidek (1991, 1992), Tan Aik Mong (1971) and Teh Kew San (1962).
Zii Jia, who will open his campaign against China's world No 54 Sun Fei Xiang, said: "I missed the previous BAC (in Wuhan two years ago) because of schedule congestion. (Then head coach) Datuk Misbun (Sidek) decided not to send me and sent Cheam (June Wei) instead," he recalled.
Zii Jia feels that the BAC is also an opportunity for him to check out his potential first singles rivals at the Thomas Cup Finals.
Japan's Kento Momota, the defending champion, Indonesia's Anthony Ginting and India's Lakhsya Sen are also in the fray.
Zii Jia has been drawn in the same half as Anthony and could cross paths with the Indonesian in the semi-finals.
"It's going to be one tough competition. All the top players are here, so I'm sure everyone else will want to warm up well for the Thomas Cup Finals via the BAC," he said.
Meanwhile, Zii Jia clarified his absence from centralised training for two days (from Wednesday), saying that he was given permission by BA of Malaysia.
"I'm back here today, there's nothing amiss here. (Ong) Yew Sin and (Teo) Ee Yi were absent, too, today, so there's nothing special about it," said Zii Jia.
"I left camp because I had personal matters to attend to. I have been given approval for it."
The nine-day centralised training for both the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals and Vietnam SEA Games ended yesterday.