Misbun recalls emotional day when Chong Wei came to his house

KUALA LUMPUR: Coach Misbun Sidek feels that Malaysia will have to wait for at least 10 to 15 years to produce another shuttler like Lee Chong Wei.

The legendary Misbun said Malaysia needs to find an individual who has the inner strength and extraordinary drive to reach Chong Wei’s level.

Misbun pointed out that many top shuttlers from other countries are also unable to reach Chong Wei’s level.

“To be the best in the world, we need to reach 95 per cent. Many of the current players only range from between 85 to 90 per cent.

“|For example, Chen Long (China) isn’t consistent. Chou Tien Chen (Taiwan) and Kento Momota (Japan) are only at 92 per cent,” he said.

“Only Chong Wei, Lin Dan (China), Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) and Peter Gade (Denmark) are at the same level, which is 95 per cent.”

Misbun recalled the emotional moment when Chong Wei dropped by his house on Monday to inform him of his intention to retire.

“It was emotional. He came and said thanks to me. I also thanked him because without him, who am I? We have always worked together,” he said.

“I consider him as a student and I feel like a teacher as well as a father. We are like a family.

“When he said he wanted to retire, I understood because I saw the pain earlier on.

“What’s more important to me is his health. We spoke and had a heart-to-heart (conversation) for 20 minutes. At that time, we were quite emotional.”

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