BEIJING: A chastened Lee Chong Wei returns to action at the Sudirman Cup on Sunday after a doping case which threatened to put paid to his career and Olympic title ambitions.
The long-time world number one will lead Malaysia in Dongguan, China, two weeks after escaping with a backdated eight-month ban for accidentally ingesting a banned anti-inflammatory.
The mixed-teams event is a new start for the two-time Olympic silver-medallist, whose ranking has dropped to 45 since the positive test on a sample given last August and his subsequent suspension in November.
It also represents the first step along a road which the 32-year-old hopes will end with an Olympic gold medal next year in Rio de Janeiro, after his near-misses in 2008 and 2012.
His doping ban expired only on May 1 and any rustiness could be punished in Malaysia's early matches against South Korea and India, whose rising stars Son Wan-Ho and K. Srikanth are both ranked in the top 10.
Further down the track, Lee could run into his perennial nemesis Lin Dan, playing in front of his home fans along with top-ranked Chen Long as China seek a 10th Sudirman Cup title.
"I'm aware that Srikanth and Wan-Ho have been playing really well. They are a danger to anybody," Lee said, according to Malaysia's Star newspaper.
"But I don't feel it'll be a problem for me. I'll just go and try my best as the pressure is not on me."
While attention will focus on Lee, anything other than a win for China on May 17 would be a shock given their all-conquering record in the sport.
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