It was no ordinary Saturday for national shuttler Leong Jun Hao.
As he signed autographs and posed for pictures with badminton fans at an event in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, his mind wandered to next week’s Japan Open.
Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China will also feature in the Japan Open draw.
That tournament is the first event on the Badminton World Federation’s tour after the recently concluded Paris Olympics, where Malaysia returned with two bronze medals.
Both medals came from badminton via Lee and the men’s pair of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
Leong, Malaysia’s third-highest player in the world rankings, admitted he was looking forward to qualifying for his first Olympics in 2028.
He is ranked No. 27, five spots behind the still-injured Ng Tze Yong. Lee is Malaysia’s top-ranked player at No. 6.
“For sure, the Olympics is the target,” said the 25-year-old.
“I was world junior championship runner-up in 2017. The winner was Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who won a silver medal at this year’s Olympics in Paris.”
Leong, the 2017 Asian Junior champion, will face Japan’s Takuma Obayashi in the first round of the Japan Open, which starts on Aug 20.
“I have just received some support to help my career. I feel motivated to go all out now,” said the Kuala Lumpur lad, who now has a new sponsor.
“It has been a tough journey, but I can start showing better results. I have four years to achieve my dream of playing in the Olympics.”
