LONDON, July 27: Injury-hit top seed Lee Chong Wei believes he has given himself a chance of winning his race against time — and claiming an improbable men’s badminton Olympic gold medal.

Torn ankle ligaments caused Lee, 29, to be ushered away in a wheelchair during the Thomas Cup in May, casting serious doubt over the then world number one’s Olympic campaign.

However stem cell treatment, plus 13 hours’ rehab each day, and a flinty attitude have bolstered him physically and mentally, enabling him to confound those who claimed he wouldn’t make it.

These trials have given him new perspectives. “It has been a long and lonely road for me since I suffered that injury,” said the Malaysian who is the most brilliantly fleet-footed player of them all in full flow.

“To be honest, it dawned on me during that time who were my real friends, who actually cared for me, Chong Wei, the ordinary person. “So many walked away, but never once did I ever think of calling it quits. All this negativity spurred me on to prove a point.”

Lee wants the gold medal, both to improve on the silver medal he won in Beijing four years ago, and to finally get the better of his nemesis Lin Dan in a major event.

Coping with the sensational Lin, China’s Olympic and world champion, is perhaps the hardest task in the history of badminton, and Lee also has to deal with the memory of the last time they played at Wembley arena last August.

Lee held two match points against Lin in a monumental world final.—AFP