Shuttler Lee Zii Jia is unperturbed with his Olympic draw as he is prepared to defeat all comers in his quest for an Olympic medal.
In Thursday's draw, the World No 8, who is seeded ninth, was pooled in Group M with Frenchman Brice Leverdez and Ukraine's Artem Pochtarov for the Tokyo Olympics which start on July 23-Aug 8.
Should he progress beyond the group stage, Zii Jia, who is seen as Malaysia's top prospect for a medal, will likely face defending champion and World No 6 Chen Long of China in the last 16.
Chen Long's form is a bit of a mystery as Chinese shuttlers have not featured in tournaments for over a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two-time world champion's last competition was the All England in 2020, where he lost to Zii Jia in the quarter-finals.
However, Zii Jia, who will be making his Olympic debut, is just focused on getting through the initial stage first.
"There is talk that my draw for the group stage is quite tough since there is Brice," said Zii Jia.
"But I'll take on the challenge. To be a champion, we have to beat everyone, and a top player cannot simply rely on the luck of the draw.
"Brice is a strong opponent as he is more experienced than me. I cannot underestimate him as anything can happen in the Olympics.
"I'll watch more videos of him to prepare for the challenge.
"Chen Long and World No 11 Shi Yuqi are two players that I have to keep an eye out for.
"Both players have not played in over a year, and I do not know what to expect from them.
"However, I have two very experienced coaches (Tey Seu Bock and Hendrawan) preparing me for the Olympics, and I trust their guidance.
"I have to be calm and mentally prepared to handle all challenges that come my way."
Zii Jia added that the challenge of competing without fans is something that he will need to adapt to before he starts his campaign.
"We will be playing under strict guidelines, and I expect them to be stringent in Tokyo.
"Playing without fans in venues is a challenge, not just for me, but every player involved as well."
The other Malaysians bound for the Olympics are Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men's doubles), Soniia Cheah (women's singles), Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (women's doubles) and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (mixed doubles).
Meanwhile BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann believes that all the national shuttlers stand an equal chance of getting out of their groups.
"I think it's a fair draw, and everyone has an equal chance in the group stage.
"For Zii Jia, I am just hoping that he takes it one match at a time, although it is also important to prepare for Chen Long."
OLYMPIC GROUPINGS
(Malaysians only)
Men's singles
Group M: Lee Zii Jia, Brice Leverdez (Fra), Artem Pochtarov (Ukr).
Doubles
Group D: Hendra Setiawan-Mohd Ahsan (Ina), Choi Solgyu-Seo Seung Jae (Kor), Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Jason Ho Shue-Nyl Yakura (Can).
Women's singles
Group N: Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Soniia Cheah, Laura Sarosi (Hun)
Doubles
Group A: Sayaka Hirota-Yuki Fukushima (Jpn), Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu (Ina), Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean, Chloe Birch-Lauren Smith (Gbr).
Mixed doubles
Group D: Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping (Chn), Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying, Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg), Mark Lamsfuss-Isabel Herttrich (Ger).