Tokyo 2020: China’s Lin Dan hopes Hong Kong Open can be a stepping stone for another Olympic campaign
- The HSBC Super 500 tournament starts at the Coliseum on Tuesday with world No 1 Kento Momota out to beat Lee Chong Wei’s record
- The 36-year-old Lin is hoping to qualify for the Olympics for the fifth time, having won gold in 2008 and 2012
China’s two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan is using the Hong Kong Open as another stepping stone in his desperate quest to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The HSBC World Tour Super 500 event, which starts on Tuesday at the Coliseum in Hung Hom, is the biggest tournament before the season closes out at next month’s year-ending finals in Guangzhou.
The Yonex-Sunrise sponsored tournament also provides players with another chance to collect precious Olympic qualifying points, with 36-year-old Lin determined to be part of the draw for next year’s Olympics.
After his eighth first-round exit of the season – in front of a home crowd at the China Open in Fuzhou last week – the five-time world champion vowed to continue his journey with no plans to retire from the sport he once dominated.
“I would consider this Olympic cycle the most tortuous and difficult one for me,” said Lin, who won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. “But I would definitely go out and give my best. I want to show my form and true quality and the power to fight. In fact, the process is very meaningful because it is a difficult target to realise.”