PETALING JAYA: The life of a shuttler is never easy as the road to success demands resilience, sacrifice and the right guidance.

Olympian Lee Meng Yean, who has walked that path, is now urging the next generation to embrace the grind.

The former women’s doubles player rose from the junior ranks to the world stage, playing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and reaching a career-high No. 10 with partner Chow Mei Kuan.

But the journey was far from smooth, and Meng Yean admitted it takes strong mental toughness,  especially when dealing with long periods away from home.

"I moved to the Bukit Jalil Sports School from Melaka when I was 13, and that’s such a young age to be living away from home," said Meng Yean at her Future Champs Badminton Academy in Kepong on Sunday (March 29).

This is the way: Former player Lee Meng Yean having a word with her juniors at the Future Champs Badminton Academy, while head coach Zhang Hongyu looks on in Kepong. - AZMAN GHANI/The Star

"I always wanted to go home and disliked playing because it was hard being alone, especially coming from outside of Kuala Lumpur."