KUALA LUMPUR: Top national shuttler Lee Chong Wei spoke highly of his sparring partner Chan Kwong Beng, admitting that the latter could fit into his shoes when the World No 1 decides to retire after the 2012 London Olympics.

Chan Kwong Beng

While Chong Wei is determined to make the best of the next two years before putting aside his racquet and planning for the future — which could include the setting up of a badminton academy — the Penangite is eager to see Kwong Beng stepping up the ladder soon.

Fresh from winning his sixth Malaysian Open title, Chong Wei pointed out that Kwong Beng has the “right moves and agility” to be a good player. Also, Chong Wei promised to do his best to motivate Kwong Beng and hoped the latter would show some form of consistency.

Chong Wei, however, was quick to caution that equating Kwong Beng to him would only add undue pressure on the youngster.

Yet, Kwong Beng hardly showed any emotions when told of this. In fact, the modest young shuttler from Taiping acknowledged that he still has a long way to go before dreaming of being among the elites.

Ranked No 63, Kwong Beng passed the qualifiers to get into the main draw of the Malaysian Open before losing his first match 21-19, 21-16 to India's Chetan Anand. Kwong Beng's immediate target is to break the top 32 mark as he gears up for the National Grand Prix in Johor Baru next month.

“If Chong Wei says so, then it’s good. But I know that I am still lacking in many areas,” admitted Kwong Beng, 22.

“I've heard of this before but I don't want to think too much about it. I enjoy training with Chong Wei and would want to learn as much as I can from him. At the end of the day, I must show the desired results to prove my worth.”

“There's no point promising anything if there are no results to show. That is how I want to be assessed — based on my true capabilities on the court and I hope to be more consistent starting with the national GP,” he added.