He’ll still hold court

PUTRAJAYA: Once and for all, a “stubborn” Lee Chong Wei knew it was time to stop.

The 36-year-old has finally given up on his relentless ambition to win the Olympic gold that eluded him throughout his 19-year sparkling career.

While his spirit is willing, the body is definitely not.

Yesterday, Chong Wei broke down in tears as he bade an emotional farewell to the badminton arena, bringing down the curtain on a journey which saw him amass 705 match wins and 69 titles.

But it’s not the Endgame just yet, as far as Chong Wei is concerned.

He has pledged to continue being involved in the sport as long as he’s still needed.

In fact, the Youth and Sports Ministry and Olympic Council of Malaysia had made a special arrangement for him to be the chef-de-mission for the national contingent to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

And don’t be surprised too if he could just pop up at the Academy Badminton Malaysia with his racquet to spar with his former teammates.

“Failing to win Olympic gold and world title (for the country and himself) is definitely one of the biggest regrets in my career. But thanks to YB Syed Saddiq (Syed Abdul Rahman, Youth and Sports Minister) and Datuk Seri Norza (Zakaria, OCM president) for nominating me as the CDM, I can still try to play a role in helping my compatriots accomplish the gold-medal dream,” said Chong Wei in yesterday’s packed press conference.

“I’ll do my best. One thing’s for sure – I’ll never say no to BAM and the country if my services are needed.

“I’ll definitely return to court in the near future to help out in training by sparring with my teammates.

“I want to help BAM in their preparations to Tokyo. We need to try to get as many players as possible to qualify.”

But for now, all Chong Wei wants to do is to become a good husband and father.

Asked what’s his immediate post-retirement plans, Chong Wei said: “The first thing to do is to repay a “debt” to my wife (Wong Mew Choo).

“I still owe her a honeymoon!

“It’s one of my promises when we first got married in 2012 and I still owe her until today.

“Besides, I also want to just rest and let my body fully heal whilst spending time with my kids (Kingston and Terrance).

“Both my sons are wonderful and they have been my biggest supporters.

“Recently, while we were watching the Sudirman Cup, they asked me why I wasn’t playing.

“I was stunned and didn’t know how to answer them.”

On whether he has plans to groom his kids to become national shuttlers, he quipped: “They may not necessarily follow in my footsteps, but I’ll give them the freedom to choose their own path.”