Malaysians yesterday rallied behind badminton ace Lee Chong Wei after he failed to deliver the nation’s first ever Olympic gold medal following his heart-breaking defeat in the final in Rio de Janeiro.
Lee is Malaysia’s most successful Olympian and came close to winning the badminton singles gold in the Beijing and London Olympics, but had to settle for silver for the third Games in a row. He enjoys sporting superstar status in a country where badminton is hugely popular.
There was a massive outpouring of sympathy from Malaysians who encouraged the shuttler after he failed at his third attempt at Olympic gold.
Photo: AP
“Don’t ever apologize ... you’re one of the reasons why Malaysians are standing proud,” one Facebook user said, while a supportive tweet read: “We’re still proud of you and you have been and always will be our hero.”
Lee was Malaysia’s best hope to finally bring the gold drought to a glorious end.
He avenged his previous two heartbreaking Olympic finals defeats to Lin Dan of China when the two clashed in Friday’s semi-finals.
However, the world No. 1 lost 21-18, 21-18 to China’s Chen Long in the nail-biting final late on Saturday.
Malaysians gathered in droves, at home, pubs and at outdoor big screens, to watch the match.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Lee played well.
“Whatever the color of the medal, you are still a hero to all Malaysians,” he wrote in Malay on Facebook.
Lee had fought his way back to the top of the rankings after returning from a doping ban last year and was taking his final shot at Olympic glory in Rio.
The 33-year-old Malaysian has said that Rio would be his final Olympics.
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