End of the day his health and his family needs to come first. I think it is not easy to make such a decision. We will miss seeing him play on the courts.
To all my family friends and fans. To everyone of you who have been a part of my life, thank you. A real big sincere thank you. Months ago, all of you knew I had cancer. I fought it. And I thought I fought it well. I thought I could try one more time. I am just someone who love to play badminton. Someone who love my country. I feared of retiring with regrets. I was scared of not delivering that elusive Olympic gold for Malaysia. So when I was cleared of cancer, I took up my racquet and trained once again. After few days of light training, I wanted to get clearanyce from my doctor to heighten my training intensity, then i was dealt a major blow. From that scan, doctor shook his head and said i might face the risk of recurrence if I continue to train. Mew Choo crumbled crying. She feared i might be stubborn and continue to pursue my dream. I was at loss. I thought “How am I supposed to hang up my racket after nearly twenty years of competitive badminton?, “ How about my Olympic dreams?” At home, i kept myself occupied with my two sons, Kingston and Terrence. I bathed them, I fed them, I taught them badminton. I spent time with them. Most importantly, I really watched them grew up. Then it struck me to finally make up my mind. I shouldn’t be so selfish. I have played for myself, I have played for my country. This time, I want to play the role of a father, for long long time. I want to see them grow up to be proper men, to get married, to have kids. I want to take care of my wife when she is old too. So Yes, I have made my decision to quit. I’m sorry that I couldn’t make it to Tokyo this time around. And I’m sorry I didn’t deliver an Olympic gold. But I know I’ve no regrets as I’ve tried my best. My very best. I hope my name Lee Chong Wei has inspired you all one way or another, same like the way you guys inspired me. Without my family, my teammates, my coaches, and my supporters, I won’t achieve anything. To my fellow badminton players like the Lin Dans, the Taufiks, the Peter Gades, and Hyun ills. Yup, my time is up. Thank you for the great battles we had. As amazing as it is, i think our era should be coming to an end now. Momota, Victor, Yuqi and Zi Jia, do hold the fort well. Make the world realise badminton is the best sport on earth. To fellow Malaysian shuttlers, don’t give up the dream. Please remember there are actually thousands of Malaysians praying for your success. Train harder everyday. Always beat yesterday’s training records. Also, a sportsman life is short. Don’t end with regrets. There is actually a young 5 years old Ali, Muthu or Ah Meng idolising you, making you their Malaysian superhero. Don’t disappoint them. Play for the flag, play for Negaraku. I had no regrets. When i started playing badminton, all I wanted to do is to represent Malaysia. And I believed I did it with pride and honour. Well. I’m done. Thank you very much to all of you. Lee Chong Wei signing out. ******
The Greatest Player Never To Have Won A World/Olympic Title - Lee Chong Wei. If only he had been born in a different era from The GOAT Lin Dan...anyway, LCW is certainly one of the all-time greats in badminton. I salute and wish him happiness, health and success in his future endeavours.
Who is his copywriter?..it's actually really really good. Very eloquent and unfettered. Perfect condensation of an illustrious career
What a tragic end for a strong fighter *sobs Being a good father could be harder than winning a medal in Olympics. All the best LCW with your family and your new life.
As the cliche goes, he will be sorely missed. I'm exceedingly glad that Lee Chong Wei's last great fight is his magnificent triumph over the hotshot Kento Momota at the Malaysia Open 2017 Final, that at the ripe old age of 35 ! - a masterstroke that blew me away. What a living legend. I believe if not for his unfortunate health problem, he will be back for a couple more record-breaking feats. He will always be remembered and his name associated with his greatest rival Lin Dan.
A legend is how you respond to defeat not just victories. How can he bounce back after that OG2012 excruciating defeat. Just a real lesson. Once, its okay. Twice.. that way. Three times and he still continue playing. What a hero. Thats what makes his story so fascinating. Consistency unrivalled. National hero. Basically the whole Malaysia depends on him everytime he steps onto court. Imagine living with that pressure always.
Well, it is Malaysia Open 2018. His way of retirement might not be ideal. So sad that he had to retire this way. But, he is really the great badminton player. Though he is not at his prime at the end of the career, he is not declined. Even after his last match, he is still a force to be reckoned with. All the best for LCW.
His last great fight was actually his loss to Momota at the Indonesia Open SF, but that doesn't take anything away from this amazing man. For Momota he was, and remains, a role model.
I beg to differ, that's not how I'd like to remember it. At the INA Open SF, his nose cancer has significantly affected his breathing capacity, more than at the MAS Open Final.
I would go further to say he is the greatest badminton player of all time. LD would be the greatest MS player of all time. LCW the greatest badminton player of all time. My opinion of course - and for the record I would not call myself a fan of either player.
Chong Wei calls it quits Thursday, 13 Jun 2019 12:40 PM MYT PUTRAJAYA Former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has announced his retirement from professional badminton after an illustrious 19-year career. The decision did not come as a surprise. "Today everyone know more or less my intention for calling this press conference. I would like to announce that I'm retiring from the sport after 19 years," said the 36-year-old during a packed press conference at the Menara KBS here on Thursday (June 13). "It was a tough decision to make but I was left with no option after my recent consultation with doctors in Taiwan last month. "I was given eight questionnaires to answer about my conditions and the outcome came out to show that I'm not fit to do high intensity activities. So it's not suitable for me to exert myself for the sake of my health. "I want to thank you Malaysians. "I want to thank a lot of people KBS, ISN. I want to thank all my coaches Datuk Misbun Sidek, Datuk Tey Seu Bock," said Chong Wei while trying to hold back tears. Chong Wei was diagnosed with nose cancer in July last year. After treatment in Taiwan, he announced in a press conference in November that he had no intention to retire and would give the Olympic glory one last shot in Tokyo next year. He was a three-time silver medallist in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016. Although he resumed training in early January and initially targeted a competitive return at the All-England in March and Malaysian Open in April, his plans came to nought. And lately, his on-off short training stints were disrupted and he has not been seen on a badminton court for six weeks. Chong Wei gave his biggest hints yet of him retiring when he penned a Malay pantun in his Hari Raya wish on Instagram last Wednesday (June 5). "Chong Wei dah cuba sedaya upaya; Emas Olimpik tidak terdaya; Kepada semua Selamat Hari Raya; Mohon maaf atas segalanya," wrote Chong Wei in the post. There was a point when Chong Wei showed he was on the right track for a comeback. He took to Facebook on April 4 to reiterate his desire to compete in the Olympics and resume his long-standing rivalry with China's Lin Dan. His post was in response to a Lin Dan statement that Chong Wei was the reason he kept competing. But after failing several times to get green light from his doctors, Chong Wei came to accept that his days were numbered. Besides missing the Olympic gold, Chong Wei will now also step down without having an elusive world title to his name. He finished runner-up in his three world championships outings in London (2011), Guangzhou (2013) and Jakarta (2015). But no one can take away the fact that he's one of the best men's singles shuttler the world has ever seen. In all, he had bagged 69 titles throughout his career. That includes a staggering 46 titles in the now-defunct Superseries – the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) top-flight circuit. He also spent a whopping 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 2008-2012 as the world No. 1. The fans are sure going to miss some of Chong Wei's trademark skills such as tight net play and cross-court smash. Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/13/chong-wei-calls-it-quits/#1oFiqDUz6MsdlQ3f.99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would say that i'm lying if im not sad. Indeed is very hard for me to swallow after knowing the fact that he has officially made the statement that he is retiring, After this nearly two decades following him as a die hard fan, Datuk LCW has made many significant impact on my life and especially my wallett which includes (major one) - bought a new, larger tv just to make sure i can watch in full glory his match with superdan in their first olympic final (never regret despite Datuk didnt win) - bought a new, larger sofa just to ensure that i can watch comfortably for the above occasion ( also never regret ...) - never miss any of his matches esp if against superdan until to the extent i took medical leave (and elauns being cut.......again never regret also....) - everytime he meets superdan, i always put my bet on him and despite loosing most of the time and also ...again need to fork out end up treating my opponent supporter satay....i still never regret... - i oftenly fell down from my sofa in an attempt to super support him esp when he meets superdan which end up with some injuries and again...need to spend some money seeking treatment....which as usual i didn't regret...... We all know he is irreplacable....there is NO such thing as Datuk LCW replacement.......because Datuk is in his league of his own.....unsurpassed in all departments........character, attitude and achievemnts by millions of miles..........what Datuk has achieved is nearly impossible to emulate esp by any current Malaysia players but hopefully they will be some who can in the future. Hopefully..........hopefully With Datuk retirement, BAM will have a gargantuan task and need to buckle up more if they want to see their MS department looks relevant and alive(in fact...all department) and especially...... if they dont want the Malaysia name and flag become drowned because missing for to long from the podium. Life needs to move on even without Datuk present in this current competition. Knowing also that Games of Throne season 8 has finished...and now Datuk also is already retiring....(i am also just going to predict that superdan will follow suit in close time to announce his retirement as to follow Datuk)........it seems there is no joy watching tv anymore.........however for the sake of my love for badminton, ill still going to watch badminton even if suddenly Gideon change his career and play single......... Datuk...thanks for the joy you brought in the world of badminton for this past two decades and may god bless you. SS
Perhaps, we won't know, when a disease reached a certain stage, it deteriorates at a higher rate. From what I've read, there are 5 stages for nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer: stage 0 (zero) and stages I through IV (1 through 4). https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/nasal-cavity-and-paranasal-sinus-cancer/stages-and-grades But one thing I know for sure, LCW lost badly in the INA SF after a blistering start in G1. Maybe accumulated fatigue, exacerbated by his nose cancer, I don't know.
