When Your Biggest Rival Pushes You To Fight For Victory, Again And Again
Greatest of rivals, finest of friends!
By Sadho Ram — 21 Aug 2016, 06:46 AM
The battles between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan are worth the pressure and commotion, just like it was at the Rio Olympics.
In fact, the longstanding rivalry and competence between the two are unlike any other seen on the badminton court so far.
Their battles take a greater meaning each time they have come face-to-face.
They become something more than a match of badminton between two individuals.
Their battles, in fact, transform into this epic saga of some sort in which the millions of people of two nations and their collective emotions — which for the duration of the game appear as if on a rollercoaster ride — are equally invested.
At least, that's what their Olympics semi-final match had transformed into on 19 August when Malaysia's No. 1 shuttler finally beat his Chinese opponent, "Super Dan".
The Lee-Lin rivalry, which is one of the best rivalries in badminton, has actually improved the popularity of the sport among the people of Malaysia and China, successfully bringing it to a bigger audience
Known for their on-field rivalry that is fierce in nature, the two are admired by their fans for they share a great friendship off the field
And so while Lin Din lost a nail-biting match, ending his golden run at the Olympics, the Chinese superstar went up to Lee Chong Wei and hugged him.
Both players had taken their t-shirts off to exchange — a mark of their friendship and the respect they both have for each other on the badminton court.
This collage of two photographs, one from the 2000 Asian Junior Championships and the other after their semi-final match at Rio 2016, perfectly captures their journey.
Image via MGAGGiven how much they have contributed to the sport, it would only be natural to wonder what would they say to each other.
So while Lin was busy fighting for his Bronze and Lee was for his Gold, a letter written by a fan, started going viral on the Web.
Notwithstanding the fact that it's a fanfiction, the letter, heartfelt and moving, perfectly encapsulates the chemistry between both rivals. And people are sharing it all over the social media, despite it being not written by Lin Dam himself.
The letter was written prior to the Men's Singles final, possibly as a moral booster by the fan for Dato' Lee to fulfil his dream of winning a Gold in the Olympics.
Even though the letter is not actually written by Lin Dan himself, it doesn't diminish the emotional impact it has had on us and thousands of others who read and shared it among their circles
Because despite being a fanfiction, it has made us all forget our differences, even if for a second only, and come together as one to celebrate the true spirit of Lee-Lin rivalry.
