Lee Chong Wei

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Lee (李).

Datuk Lee Chong Wei px
Personal information
Date of birth October 21, 1982 (1982-10-21) (age 26)
Place of birth George Town, Penang
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Weight 60 kg (130 lb; 9.4 st)
Men's singles
Country Malaysia
Handedness Right
Coach Misbun Sidek
Highest Ranking 1 (29 June 2006 – 20 July 2006,
24 August 2006
– 21 September 2006,
21 August 2008 –)
Current Ranking 1 (20 November 2008)
BWF Profile
Olympic medal record
Competitor for Malaysia
Men's badminton
Silver 2008 Beijing Men's Singles
World Championships
Bronze 2005 Anaheim Men's Singles

Datuk Lee Chong Wei (simplified Chinese: 李宗伟; pinyin: Lǐ zōng wěi, born in George Town, Penang; October 21, 1982[1]) is a professional badminton player from Malaysia who resides in Bukit Mertajam.[2] Lee won the silver medal in 2008 Olympic Games, thus becoming the first Malaysian to reach the final of the men's singles event and ending Malaysia's Olympic medal drought since the 1996 Games. This achievement also earned him the title Datuk, and a description by Malaysian minister Najib Tun Razak as national hero.[3]

As a singles player, Lee was again ranked first worldwide on August 21, 2008.[4] He is the third Malaysian men's singles shuttler after Rashid Sidek and Roslin Hashim to achieve such a ranking (since official rankings were first kept in the 1980s), and is the only Malaysian shuttler to hold the ranking for more than two weeks.

Lee has won many international badminton titles in his career, including five Super Series titles. However, despite his status among the world elite, Lee has only managed to capture bronze (in 2005) at the BWF World Championships and has never won the prestigious All England Open. Lee has also been unable to lead Malaysia to victory in the highly coveted biennial Thomas Cup (men's international team championship), despite his number one rankings during the 2006 and 2008 events.

Personal life

In his the early years, Lee favoured basketball, however his mother soon banned him from that activity due to the searing heat of the outdoor basketball court. Lee began to learn badminton at the age of 11, when his father, who liked to play the game, brought him to the badminton hall. Attracting the attention of a local coach, the coach asked Lee's father if he could take him as a student. After receiving the nod from his father, the coach began to train Lee after school.[5] Discovered by Misbun Sidek, he was drafted into the national squad when he was seventeen years old.[6]

On November 3, 2006, Lee was involved in a car accident. On his way to Bukit Jalil after dinner, he was knocked from behind by a vehicle which had lost control after a tire burst. He was then sent to the Sunway Medical Centre and treated with six stitches for his head injury.[7]

Lee received RM300,000 on August 21, 2008, as a reward for his silver medal effort in the 2008 Olympic Games. Also, he received RM3,000 a month as a lifetime pension beginning in August 2008.[8] For the same achievement, he was conferred with a Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which carries the title Datuk by Governor of Penang, Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas on August 30, 2008.[9]

He in a relationship with Wong Mew Choo, his teammate.[10]

[edit] Career

Lee played in the 2004 Athens Olympics defeating Ng Wei of Hong Kong in the first round. In the round of 16, Chong Wei was beaten by Chen Hong of China[11]. In 2005 he bagged his first 5-star event in the Danish Open. He also successfully defended his Malaysia Open and bagged a bronze at the BWF World Championships where he lost in the semifinal to the eventual champion Taufik Hidayat[12].

Lee Chong Wei held an unbeaten record in all tournaments held inside Malaysian territory for three years from 2004 to 2006. This, and a win in the 2008 Super Series eventhave given him a total of four Malaysia Open titles. His victory in the 2006 Malaysian Open included what is considered one of the greatest comebacks in badminton history, as he fought back from 13–20 down in the third game and saved eight match points against the 2006 World champion Lin Dan, to finally wrap up the match 23–21. In 2005, he beat Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat and World No. 1 Lin Dan en route to the title.

He won the gold medal in the individual men's singles event and contributed to Malaysia's victory in the team event at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. In the individual event Chong Wei fought off his fellow countryman Wong Choong Hann for the gold, beating him in straight sets. After winning there he returned to Malaysia to win the Badminton Asia Championships title and soon after that received the Malaysian Sportsman Of The Year Award.

In the 2006 World Badminton Championships in Madrid, he disappointingly lost to Bao Chunlai of China in three tightly contested quarterfinal games. He was leading in the first set but his performance was eventually undone by too many unforced errors. He won the second game easily and the players went toe to toe in the third game before Lee Chong Wei seemingly succumbed to pressure after the score was tied at 18 all. Prior to losing this match to Bao, their head to head meetings record stood at 8-0 in favor of Lee Chong Wei. He entered the World Championship as the world number one ranked and top seeded player.[13] This loss was seen as a setback for Lee who was favored by many to capture the world title.

This disappointing performance was followed by another below-par outing in the 2006 Japan Open where he lost tamely to Indonesian maestro Taufik Hidayat in straight sets. These defeats ended his brief reign as world number one. However, it seemed that his old form had returned after his victory against Bao Chunlai in the finals of the Djarum Indonesia Open in 2007, the irony being that his defeat against Bao in Madrid had seemed to start his downhill slide.

Lee continued his sharp form later in 2007 Sudirman Cup, defeating all opponents in straight sets, including world champion Lin Dan whom he clearly outplayed throughout the match. At the 2007 Philippines Open Lee also clearly controlled the final against Chen Hong.

"Hometown" pressure seemed to get to him in the 2007 World Badminton Championships in Kuala Lumpur, and Lee exited the tournament after losing to Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the round of 16[14]. Lee was quick to make amends, and barely a month later continued his good run of form by upsetting Lin Dan en-route to winning the 2007 Japan Open.

Later, he defeated Chunlai again to lift the French Open title, having lost to the same opponent the previous week in the Denmark Open semifinal. However, another confrontation with Bao Chunlai in the China Open final in Guangzhou led to another loss.

[edit] 2008
Lee Chong Wei playing in the semifinals of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing

Lee kicked off year 2008 in style, capturing his fourth Malaysia Open title in five years, after defeating South Korean Lee Hyun-il 21–15, 11–21 and 21–17.[15] However, Lee withdrew from a second round match against the same opponent a few days later in the Korea Open for an unknown reason. In this match, Lee won the first game 21–19 and lost the second game 17–21, before conceding the match to the South Korean.[16] Lee next advanced into the semifinal of the All England Open before losing to the eventual champion Chen Jin 18–21, 18–21.[17] A week later, he advanced to the final of the Swiss Open but missed the title after being defeated by Lin Dan 13–21, 18–21.[18]

Lee then failed to deliver in front of his home crowd in the Badminton Asia Championships, as he was upset by Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana in third round.[19] At the Thomas Cup playoffs in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lee helped Malaysia advanced through to the semifinal where he defeated Lin Dan to give Malaysia a 1–0 lead in its clash with defending champion China. However, Malaysia eventually lost 2–3 due to the defeat of its first doubles team in the vital final match.[20]

Lee began final preparations for the Olympic Games by taking part in the Singapore Open, where he eased past Simon Santoso in the final to take his second title of the year. In that match a display of superiority by Lee saw him take the first 15 points of the second game before conceding the first point to Simon.[21]

In 2008 Olympic Games, Lee was given a bye in the first round. He cruised to straight game victories over Ronald Susilo in the second round, Kęstutis Navickas in the third round, and Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the quarterfinals.[22][23] He had a scare in the semifinals where Lee Hyun-il gave him a tough fight, but Chong Wei was eventually was able to beat the South Korean 21–18, 13–21, 21–13 and reach the final.[24] However, it was a one-sided final, as Lee was completely outplayed by Lin Dan and salvaged only 20 points, losing 12–21, 8–21.[25]

Lee participated in several tournaments after the Olympic Games, without capturing a title. He advanced to the finals of the Japan Open, the Macau Open and China Open, but lost to Sony Dwi Kuncoro,[26] Taufik Hidayat, and Lin Dan respectively.[27][28] In the French Open Lee was eliminated in the semifinals.[29] His coach, Misbun Sidek, cited the pressure of being ranked world number one to explain Lee's recent failure to capture a title.[30]

Lee ended his last Super Series tourney of the year, the Hong Kong Open, with a sudden withdrawal due to a knee injury, conceding a walkover to Germany’s Marc Zwiebler.[31] His last minute withdrawal led to the Chinese media to tag him as the "weakest world number one".[32] The Chinese media also speculated that three factors had hampered Lee's performance since the Olympic Games. They listed these as the stress of the Olympic final, a phobia of Lin Dan due to his lopsided Olympic defeat at Lin's hands, and (echoing Misbun Sidek's conjecture) the pressure of being the world number one.[33]

Despite Lee's recent difficulties in international play, he recorded his seventh consecutive victory at the National Badminton Grand Prix Final in Kedah on December 12, 2008, defeating Chong Wei Feng 21–11, 21–13, thus breaking the record of six consecutive titles set by Misbun Sidek.[34] Lee ended the year with a title in the Super Series Masters Finals, however, Lin Dan and China's other top players did not compete, their association citing injuries and fatigue.[35]

[edit] Awards

On April 29, 2006, Chong Wei was named 2005 Penang Sportsman for his performance in the 2005 IBF World Championships and 2005 All England Open Badminton Championships.[36] He repeated the honour on November 18, 2008 as the 2007 Penang Sportsman.[37]

On December 12, 2008, he was selected as Malaysia's Male Olympian 2008 for his achievement as the only Malaysian to win a medal in 2008 Summer Olympics.[38]

[edit] Career finals

[edit] Titles
Date Tournament Opponent in final Score
2003 Malaysia Satellite Flag of Malaysia Kuan Beng Hong 15–7, 15–9
2004 Malaysia Open Flag of South Korea Park Sung-hwan 15–13, 15–12
2004 Chinese Taipei Open Flag of Malaysia Kuan Beng Hong 15–4, 15–10
2005 Malaysia Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 17–15, 9–15, 15–9
2005 Denmark Open Flag of Malaysia Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 17–14, 15–8
2006 Swiss Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Xia Xuanze 15–8, 15–0
2006 Asian Badminton Championships Flag of Thailand Boonsak Ponsana 21–12, 21–16
2006 Malaysia Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 21–18, 18–21, 23–21
2007 Indonesia Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Bao Chunlai 21–15, 21–16
2007 Philippines Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Chen Hong 21–9, 21–15
2007 Japan Open Flag of Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 22–20, 19–21, 21–19
2007 French Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Bao Chunlai 21–11, 21–14
2008 Malaysia Open Flag of South Korea Lee Hyun-il 21–15, 11–21, 21–17
2008 Singapore Open Flag of Indonesia Simon Santoso 21–13, 21–5
2008 Super Series Masters Finals Flag of Denmark Peter Gade 21–8, 21–16
2009 Malaysia Open Flag of South Korea Park Sung-hwan 21–14, 21–13

[edit] Runners-up
Date Tournament Opponent in final Score
2003 Malaysia Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Chen Hong 9–15, 5–15
2003 Asian Satellite Flag of Malaysia Yeoh Kay Bin 5–15, 13–15
2004 Singapore Open Flag of Denmark Kenneth Jonassen 15–17, 4–15
2006 Chinese Taipei Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 18–21, 21–12, 11–21
2006 Macau Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 18–21, 21–18, 18–21
2006 Hong Kong Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 19–21, 21–8, 16–21
2007 China Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Bao Chunlai 12–21, 13–21
2007 Hong Kong Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 21–9, 15–21, 15–21
2008 Swiss Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 13–21, 18–21
2008 Japan Open Flag of Indonesia Sony Dwi Kuncoro 17–21, 11–21
2008 Olympic Games Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 12–21, 8–21
2008 Japan Open Flag of Indonesia Sony Dwi Kuncoro 17–21, 11–21
2008 Macau Open Flag of Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 19–21, 15–21
2008 China Open Flag of the People's Republic of China Lin Dan 18–21, 9–21

Super Series tournament
Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix tournament

[edit] References

1. ^ "Lee Chong Wei Biography and Statistics". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-20.
2. ^ "A hero's welcome for Penang boy Chong Wei", nstonline (2008-08-21). Retrieved on 24 November 2008.
3. ^ "Chong Wei a national hero, says Najib", Daily Express News (2008-08-18). Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
4. ^ "Historical Ranking - August 21, 2008". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved on 2008-11-21.
5. ^ "李宗伟:中马间的"二道贩子"和黄妙珠是"好友"". Sina Sport. Sport366.com (2007-10-11). Retrieved on 2008-12-13.
6. ^ "Interview with Lee Chong Wei". Badminton-Information. Retrieved on 2008-11-24.
7. ^ "Lee gets all clear after car crash", Gulf Times (2006-11-06). Retrieved on 24 November 2008.
8. ^ "$1,300 pension for Malaysian shuttler", asiaonenews (2008-08-20). Retrieved on 24 November 2008.
9. ^ "Datukship for Lee Chong Wei", asiaonenews (2008-08-20). Retrieved on 24 November 2008.
10. ^ "Lee Chong Wei bio". NBC Olympics. Retrieved on 2008-11-24.
11. ^ "Olympic Results: Athens 2004". InternationalBadminton.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
12. ^ "World Championships Results: Anaheim 2005". InternationalBadminton.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
13. ^ "World Championships Results: Madrid 2006". InternationalBadminton.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
14. ^ "World Championships Results: Kuala Lumpur 2007". InternationalBadminton.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
15. ^ "Lee Chong Wei wins men's singles at Malaysian Open badminton", People's Daily Online (2008-01-29). Retrieved on 14 December 2008.
16. ^ "李宗伟弃赛李炫一晋级，八强战将上演韩国德比战", bbeshop. Retrieved on 14 December 2008.
17. ^ "China stays on course to win singles titles at All England Open", The Associated Press, International Herald Tribune (2008-03-08). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
18. ^ "Chinese back to winning ways in Swiss finals", China Daily (2008-03-17). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
19. ^ Chin, Dan Guen (2008-04-21). "Looking Towards Jakarta", Bernama. Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
20. ^ "China defeats Malaysia to advance to final of Thomas Cup", The Associated Press, International Herald Tribune (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
21. ^ "Badminton: Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei wins men's singles title in Singapore Open", Channelnewsasia (2008-06-15). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
22. ^ "Britain's Robertson, Emms advance in badminton", The Associated Press, International Herald Tribune (2008-08-12). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
23. ^ "Lee in top form in Badminton Singles", beijing2008.cn (2008-08-14). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
24. ^ "Lee stumbles but prevails", beijing2008.cn (2008-08-15). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
25. ^ "Lin Dan of China defeats Malaysia's Lee Chong in men's final", The Associated Press, International Herald Tribune (2008-08-17). Retrieved on 15 December 2008.
26. ^ "Sony Ruins Lee Chong Wei's Japan Title Hopes", Badminton-Information. Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
27. ^ "Macau Grand Prix Gold 2008: Taufik Hidayat Takes Out Lee Chong Wei to Regain Form", BVM (2008-10-07). Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
28. ^ "‘Super Dan’ outplays Chong Wei yet again in China", The Malaysian Insider (2008-11-23). Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
29. ^ "French Open Super Series 2008: Gade And Taufik Set For Showdown", BVM (2008-11-01). Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
30. ^ "Badminton: Chong Wei bogged down by pressure", nstonline (2008-11-16). Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
31. ^ Paul, Rajes (2008-11-27). "Old knee injury haunts Chong Wei at HK Open", The Star. Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
32. ^ "中国香港羽毛球超级赛 “水货一哥”临阵脱逃" (in Chinese), Sohu Sport (2008-11-27). Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
33. ^ "三大症状困扰大马一哥 林丹给李宗伟留下病根" (in Chinese), QQ Sports, CCTV.com (2008-11-26). Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
34. ^ "黄佩娴卫冕女单　李宗伟笑缔7连霸" (in Chinese), Kwong Wah Yit Poh (2008-12-12). Retrieved on 13 December 2008.
35. ^ "Lee beats Gade to wins Super Series final", Reuters (2008-12-21). Retrieved on 22 December 2008.
36. ^ "Nicol Again Bags Top Penang Sports Award", Bernama (2006-04-29). Retrieved on 25 November 2008.
37. ^ "李宗伟/林莉莉当选槟最佳男女运动员" (in Chinese), Kwong Wah Yit Poh (2008-11-19). Retrieved on 25 December 2008.
38. ^ "Chong Wei and Yi Ting Receive Olympian Awards 2008", Bernama, Yahoo! Malaysia News (2008-12-13). Retrieved on 13 December 2008.