KUALA LUMPUR – To be listed among world legends in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Fame is already a historic feat for national badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
But he felt what makes it even more special is being inducted together with his on-court nemesis Lin Dan of China.
Reacting to BWF’s announcement that Chong Wei and Lin Dan have been elected to be inducted into the world governing body’s Hall of Fame for 2023, the 41-year-old spoke about how his life evolved from a normal badminton playing kid to world legend.
“When I was a small kid in Penang, I was trying all means to be able to play in a proper badminton hall, and now we’re talking about the (BWF) Hall of Fame.
“Since falling in love with this game, all I’ve ever wanted to do is to play the game to my best, enjoy the adrenaline rush, represent my country, win medals for them and produce a badminton spectacle which can put a smile on every fan watching it. It was awesome, and I’ve never regretted any moment of my career.
“When you look at some of the unbelievable talents to have graced the badminton arena in the past, I feel very honoured to join the Hall of Fame. Without my coaches, teammates, family, as well as my opponents, I won’t be able to achieve this,” Chong Wei said on Facebook.
Yesterday, BWF said the two legends, who were the most dominant men’s singles shuttlers in their generation, would be inducted into the Hall of Fame during an official ceremony on May 26 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Chong Wei and Lin Dan, 40, who began their senior international careers in the early 2000s, had stamped their presence on the game until their retirements in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Chong Wei, who retired due to nasal cancer, had bagged 47 BWF Superseries/World Tour titles in total during his 19-year illustrious career and was world number one for an amazing 349 weeks.
The Penang-born man is also Malaysia’s most successful shuttler, having won three Olympics silver medals in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, as well as three World Championships silver medals in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
Lin Dan, on the other hand, was unrivalled when it came to the major championships, with two Olympic and five World Championships titles.
Chong Wei and Lin Dan’s dominance saw them contesting against each other in a total of five Olympic and 10 World Championships finals. – Bernama, May 3, 2023
