Lee copes with painful triple bypass
For third straight Games, Malaysian icon drops badminton final to a Chinese champ
Long-frustrated Malaysian Lee Chong Wei’s victory over Chinese nemesis Lin Dan in the badminton semifinals was supposed to pave the way for a golden swan song and secure a desperate nation its first ever Olympic title.
Instead, it was another Chinese star raining on Lee’s parade.
Two-time world champion Chen Long played masterfully to edge the top seed 21-18, 21-18 on Saturday, but Lee, 33, was below his best, squandering solid leads in each game en route to his third straight loss in as many Olympic finals.
“Losing this match will definitely give me some regrets,” said Lee, the world No 1.
“Malaysia and the fans all hoped I would win the gold medal today.
“Malaysia has never won a gold medal in the Olympics. Today I tried my best, but my opponent played better.”
Like much of the crowd that flocked to the semifinals on Friday, Lee felt he played his championship match a game too soon against Lin, the man who beat him for gold in Beijing and London.
It was a classic that deserved a bigger stage for the two battle-scarred veterans in their final Games.
“After beating Lin Dan I was not really that happy because I felt our match should have been the real final in the Olympics,” Lee said.
“It is really not easy for us to play four Olympic Games, and I think this is definitely going to be the last big competition for both Lin Dan and me.”
Lin, 32, missed out on a medal in his final Games, losing 15-21, 21-10, 21-17 to rising Viktor Axelsen of Denmark for the bronze.
But Lin heads into the sunset having previously won two Olympic golds and with his place in the pantheon of badminton greats assured.
World No 2 Chen said he was determined to ensure the singles title stayed with China after Lin was dumped out by Lee.
“The key here was that a Chinese man won badminton gold. It was a little bit unexpected for me, but all the hard work has paid off,” he said.
Most decorated
Lee bows out as Malaysia’s most decorated Olympian, but he might be remembered as the player who won everything except the titles that matter.
While occupying the world’s top ranking for most of his career, Lee has never won a world championship or an Asian Games gold, always losing in the finals to Lin or Chen.
Adding a sour note late in his career, he was stripped of his 2014 world silver after failing a drug test.
His ability to come back last year after an eight-month ban and regain his No 1 status was a testament to his talent and determination.
But Lee’s failure to win the biggest matches of his career has come to represent Malaysia’s wider frustrations since the nation’s debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
Lee’s compatriots lost the gold medal deciders for the badminton mixed doubles on Wednesday and the men’s doubles on Friday, leaving the team with three silvers from the Rio tournament.
Malaysia’s long wait for an Olympic champion in any sport appeared all but certain to continue for at least another four years.
Losing this match will definitely give me some regrets.” Lee Chong Wei, after finishing second in his third Olympics
“Lee’s still our hero and the others, I think in badminton, have done extremely well,” said Malaysia’s team chef de mission Mohamed Al-Amin Abdul Majid.
“I think Malaysia still needs to be proud — we made three finals so it’s a hard act to follow.”
On the prospect of his possible retirement, Lee said he hadn’t had time to think about it.
“My focus was to make good preparations for these Games. Now everything is over, for me the most important thing is to have a rest.”
Chen also paid tribute, saying: “Lee’s three Olympic silver medals are far more valued than one gold. His fans and country should feel proud of him,” he said.