Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open.
Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
Photo: CNA
“I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will also think of Taiwan’s doubles being really strong,” said Lee, who secured gold for Team Taiwan in the men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics alongside partner Wang Chi-lin.
Wang was present at the ceremony, along with Lee’s other former badminton partners Chiang Yu-wei and Lee Jhe-huei.
During an exchange between the badminton stars in front of the stadium audience, Lee Yang said that Lee Jhe-huei used to leave the court first when they finished practice.
“But this time it’s me who will leave the court first,” Lee Yang said before bursting into tears again.
Lee Yang, 29, reflected on his dedication to the sport that helped him take home two Olympic golds in 2021 and this year, two Asian Games bronzes in 2018 and 2022, and an Asian Championships bronze last year with partners Wang and Lee Jhe-huei.
“I also want to thank myself for persisting for so long,” he said. “Every day I would go to bed at 11pm and get up at 7:20am. As long as there was anything that could help promote badminton, I always wanted to go and do it.”
Lee Yang said that he spent more than half of each year away from Taiwan for training and participating in competitions during his career.
Much of the rest of the time was spent at the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung, he said.
This has made Taiwan feel “unfamiliar” to him, he said.
“Right now, I really want to ride a bicycle all around Taiwan, that way I can thoroughly enjoy myself,” he said. “I can stop off everywhere and get to know Taiwan all over again.”
He also said that from yesterday he would take up teaching at National Taiwan Sport University.
Lee Yang, who was born in Taipei but whose household is registered in Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen County, began playing badminton in grade five of elementary school.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
KNICKS TAKE LEAD: San Antonio put on a 9-0 run to be up 95-94 with just over 2 minutes to play, but the rest of the game belonged to the New York Knicks It was past five minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and the New York Knicks’ 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy. The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period and trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points. They were floundering. Then something crazy happened. The Knicks found new life from an unlikely source: The Spurs. New York rallied to tie the game by the end of the period, gave up the lead briefly late in the fourth quarter, and pulled away late for a 105-95
RSS