KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Yong-dae bade goodbye to world badminton with an emotional win at his home tournament – the Korean Open.
The 28-year-old Yong-dae partnered Yoo Yeon-seong to beat Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen of China 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 in a thrilling 85-minute men’s doubles final in Seoul on Sunday.
It was Yong-dae’s 43rd Superseries title, making him the most successful men’s doubles player on the Tour.
Yong-dae, who first represented South Korea as a junior in 2003, shot into the limelight in 2006 when he won three titles – boys’ doubles (with Cho Gun-woo), mixed doubles (with Yoo Hyun-young) and mixed team – at the World Junior Championships.
That year, Yong-dae also nicked his first international title at the Thailand Open with Jung Jae-sung in the men’s doubles.
He also went on to win the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold in the mixed doubles with Lee Hyo-jung; a team gold and the men’s doubles crown with Yeon-seong at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and three silvers – twice with Jung Jae-sung (2007 and 2009) and once with Yeon-seong (2014) – at the World Championships.
“This is my last match in international badminton and I am so happy to have won,” Yong-dae was quoted on the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) website.
Malaysian Tan Kim Her, once a South Korean national doubles coach, said world badminton would miss a player of Yong-dae’s calibre.
“It is so sad to see a good player like him retire early. When I coached him, he was always asking for extra training. I wish him all the best,” said Kim Her, who was Yong-dae’s coach during his junior days in 2005-2006.
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