The father of world No 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei is positive that his son will have a chance to grab his first Olympic gold medal after winning against his nemesis, Lin Dan in the semi-finals of the men's singles in Rio de Janeiro, yesterday.

Sixty-three-year-old Lee Ah Chai was proud with what Chong Wei had achieved and hoped his son could continue to focus his attention in the final tomorrow.

“He played well tonight even though he had difficulties in the first set, but he bounced back in the second set. Of course as a father, I am very proud of my son’s achievements,” he told Bernama when contacted in George Town yesterday, right after the match ended.

Chong Wei booked a spot in the final after defeating Lin Dan 15-21, 21-11, and 22-20, in a tight match with great performance by both players.

Chong Wei will be meeting the world No 2 shuttler Chen Long from China tomorrow after the Chinese player defeated Viktor Axelsen from Denmark in the other semi-final yesterday.

Ah Chai also thanked all Malaysians for their continued support and hoped his son could bring home the gold medal for the country.

Earlier, more than 500 people were at the Gurney Paragon, to watch the match through a big screen provided by Hunza Properties.

One of the spectators, Lim Lee Peng, 39, said he was proud with Chong Wei’s and Lin Dan’s performance and admitted that both were superb badminton players.

“Lin Dan is one of the best shutllers and Chong Wei was able to defeat him in a really tough match. As a Malaysian, we are proud of him. Good luck in the final,” he said.

- Bernama