Chee Feng officially retires after 10 years of service

PETALING JAYA: Paddler Leong Chee Feng (pic) has bid farewell to the national table tennis team after 10 years of service.

The 26-year-old said he has officially retired from the national team as of May 1 and the reason behind the difficult decision stemmed from the accumulated injuries over the years.

“My body is unable to withstand the high-intensity professional training any longer. Therefore, I had to step away from these obligations,” said Chee Feng, who is from Selangor.

“My utmost gratitude and respect goes to the Table Tennis Association Malaysia, our president Datuk Seri Tee Lip Sin, the National Sports Council (NSC), National Sports Institute (NSI), Selangor Table Tennis Association, PJ Union Table Tennis Centre, coach Beh Lee Wei and Choo Sim Guan as well as my teammates.

Chee Feng bagged bronze in the men’s singles at the Cambodia SEA Games last year and was the national singles champion in 2017 and has played crucial roles when it comes to the team event.

He helped Malaysia claim impressive silver medal finishes in the men’s team event at the last two SEA Games – lost 1-3 to Thailand at 2022 Vietnam and went down 0-3 to Singapore in Cambodia.

Chee Feng added he would cherish all the good memories with his teammates.

“Representing my country has been my pride and honour. Despite the reluctance to let go, I’ve done everything in my power to accomplish my current achievements. My unfulfilled wishes can only be passed on to the budding young flames of the future.”

Chee Feng will probably enter into a coaching role.

“My heart still burns with passion and I will continue to be active in this field, contributing my skills and knowledge to the best of my abilities.”