"Win Or Lose, We Love You" - Malaysians Are Consoling Chong Wei After His Shocking Defeat
Malaysians are rallying behind their national hero.
By Tang Ruxyn — 23 Aug 2017, 10:54 AM
National shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei had set his sights on the 2017 World Championships but his dreams of getting gold ended prematurely when he suffered a shocking exit in the first round
Chong Wei is a three-time runners-up and has never won the tournament. However, his elusive search for the world title came to an end at the hands of France's Brice Leverdez in the men's singles match during the 2017 BWF World Championships.
Leverdez pulled off a major upset against Chong Wei in Glasgow yesterday, 22 August, by winning 21-19, 22-24, 21-17 in 75 minutes.
This is Chong Wei's second defeat to Leverdez. He lost to the Frenchman at the Denmark Open last October.
This comes as a major disappointment as Chong Wei won his fourth All-England Open title in March, which suggested that he is capable of ending his world title drought this time around
He was rumoured to be considering retirement after the Rio Olympics Games last year.
However, after bringing home his third silver medal at the Olympics, Chong Wei had announced that he would try again on his 10th attempt, and said this would be his last championship before he hangs his racket.
The 34-year-old was obviously heartbroken by the results as he could not describe his feelings when met with reporters
Berita Harian reported that Chong Wei asked to be given space and said that he intends to rest before he decides what his best next steps will be.
"I cannot give any comments about my future plans after this because I cannot even think right now. I will take a break before making any decisions," he told reporters when met at the end of the match.
In a separate media report by Channel News Asia, Chong Wei was quoted as saying, "I'm very disappointed. I don't know my plans, maybe I'll retire tomorrow. I have to find out if I still have the fire to go on."
Later, the World Number 2 took to Twitter to apologise to Malaysians.
"Sorry for letting you down. Sorry, Malaysia."
Malaysians quickly responded by sending him encouraging words, thanking the national shuttler for trying his best
Even fans from other countries showed their support for him
