Leong Jun Hao has no intention of being an “early casualty” at the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31.
In fact, the shuttler wants to do some giant-killing and go deep into the championships.
The world No. 25 wants to prove that he is more than just making up the numbers in Paris.
Jun Hao said he is comfortable with the “underdog” tag, but insists he is ready to battle the top dogs.
“I’m excited because this is my first time competing in such a major event. I will take it one match at a time and give my best in every game,” he said after a training session at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Tuesday.
Despite a quiet season, Jun Hao has shown that he can beat some of the game’s heavyweights. He has stunned Indonesia’s world No. 5 Jonatan Christie at the Singapore Open, Japan’s world No. 8 Kodai Naraoka at the Sudirman Cup and world No. 14 Kenta Nishimoto at the China Open. His best result was reaching the Singapore Open quarter-finals.
For the 26-year-old, major tournaments such as the worlds offer equal opportunities to all players, regardless of ranking.
“Anyone has a chance. I hope to produce upsets often, not just once in a while. Every match is a new challenge, and I’ll try something different each time to win,” he said.
Jun Hao will leave for Denmark this Saturday for a five-day training stint before heading to Paris. The Copenhagen-stint, planned by national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, is for the Malaysians to acclimatise to the weather and have high-quality sparring sessions with Danish players.
“This is the first time we’re preparing this way. Our coach is from Denmark and has good connections there, so it’s a great initiative. I’m not sure exactly who will be there, but training with the Danish national team will definitely be a different experience,” added Jun Hao.
Malaysia last won a World Championships medal in men’s singles in 2015, through Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who claimed silver in Jakarta.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
