Dato’ Lee Chong Wei has fought brave and hard against his Chinese opponent, Chen Long in the Olympic badminton finals, but alas he has buckled under the pressure and lost what will probably be his last ever chance at an Olympic gold medal.
The men’s single finals earlier tonight saw China’s pro player just narrowly beating out Chong Wei by 21-18. Thousands of Malaysians from all over the world were watching Chong Wei’s every move on the edge of their seats in tension.
Battling fiercely against his younger opponent, the intense match had people all over the country shouting and cheering for Chong Wei’s victory throughout the whole 73 minutes of the match. Unfortunately, the weight of the nation’s hopes must have gotten too much for him, and he quickly succumbed to the pressure. There is no doubt though that Chong Wei gave us his absolute best, and we are all immensely grateful to him for bringing Malaysia to the world stage yet again.
Lee Chong Wei narrowly lost the first round 21-18, and even with his insanely fierce moves, couldn’t withstand the fiery battle Chen Long gave him.
Regardless of the results, us Malaysians are still incredibly proud of how far our national hero has come, and for clenching us yet another silver medal to add to this year’s growing list. In 2016’s games alone, we have won more medals than the past four Olympics combined!
Chong Wei epically defeated his long-standing rival Lin Dan on Friday’s heart-stopping semi-final match, and his jumping and cheering figure evoked emotions of utmost pride and euphoria among the hundreds of thousands watching.
Even though we missed out on our chance of winning Malaysia’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, there’s always Tokyo 2020 to look forward to next!
Congratulations on your incredible final match Dato’ Lee, Malaysia is still absolutely proud of your achievements!
Featured Image Credit: New Straits Times Online
