An urge for Malaysia to win a gold medal was put on hold when badminton legend Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement from international badminton after a 19-year career, worthy of the hall of fame.
A three-time Olympic silver medallist and former world number 1, Lee promulgated his retirement after extended health-related issues killed his desire to win a gold for his country in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Lee, who was practicing intensely for the upcoming Olympics was shocked when the doctors advised him that the risk of cancer will be pretty high if he practices with the intensity he was used to. As badminton is a game of endurance and directly relates to the breathing of the player, Lee was denied further training by the doctors.
He was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer, but Lee said he was leaving the badminton arena without any regrets. Yet, we can all imagine how he feels right now after leaving a game he was a part of for nearly 20 years. He also ranked number 1 for nearly 200 weeks in a streak from 2008 to 2012. He’s won 69 major titles among which he couldn’t make it to the gold in the Olympics and World Championships, as he’d often come up against his top competitor Lin Dan (and also Chen Long).
However, Lee is a triple silver medallist in both Olympics and World Championships. His humility could not be measured as he always apologized before his countrymen after losing in the finals, and that continued in his goodbye message also.
Lin Dan, who is considered the biggest rival of Lee on the court, said, “I am alone, now that there is no one to accompany me on the court.”
“It will be difficult to find another icon like Lee,” Syed Saddiq said. “Someone like him comes once in a lifetime.”
Lee has been honored by the Malaysian government with many titles and was nominated as Malaysia’s Chef de Mission for the 2020 Summer Olympics. We wish that the next step in his life be as fruitful as his previous one and he continues to be an idol for the upcoming generations in the world of badminton.