Sunday, March 21, 2010



Lee Chong Wei profession as a Badminton Player

Lee Chong Wei, born in Bukit Mertajam, Penang; October 21, 1982 is a professional badminton player from Malaysia who resides in Bukit Mertajam. Lee won the silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games, thus becoming the first Malaysian to reach the final of the men's singles event and ending Malaysia's Olympic medal drought since the 1996 Games. This achievement also earned him the title Datuk, and a description by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as national hero.

As a singles player, Lee is one of the world's dominant player and was again ranked first worldwide on August 21, 2008. He is the third Malaysian men's singles shuttler after Rashid Sidek and Roslin Hashim to achieve such a ranking (since official rankings were first kept in the 1980s), and is the only Malaysian shuttler to hold the ranking for more than two weeks.

Lee is also the reigning All England champion.

Lee has won many international badminton titles in his career, including many Super Series titles. However, despite his status among the world elite, Lee has only managed to capture bronze (in 2005) at the BWF World Championships.

Now about his personal life:
In his early years (During primary school in SRJK(C) Jit Sin (B)), Berapit, Lee favoured basketball, however his mother soon banned him from that activity due to the searing heat of the outdoor basketball court. Lee began to learn badminton at the age of 11, when his father, who liked to play the game, brought him to the badminton hall. Attracting the attention of a local coach, the coach asked Lee's father if he could take him as a student. After receiving the nod from his father, the coach began to train Lee after school. Discovered by Misbun Sidek, he was drafted into the national squad when he was seventeen years old.On November 3, 2006, Lee was involved in a car accident. On his way to Bukit Jalil after dinner, he was knocked from behind by a vehicle which had lost control after a tire burst. He was then sent to the Sunway Medical Centre and treated with six stitches for his head injury.Lee received RM300,000 on August 21, 2008, as a reward for his silver medal effort in the 2008 Olympic Games. Also, he received RM3,000 a month as a lifetime pension beginning in August 2008. For the same achievement, he was conferred with a Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which carries the title Datuk by Governor of Penang, Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas on August 30, 2008.
On June 6, 2009, Lee received the Darjah Bakti (DB) award, from Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, in conjunction with the Birthday of Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for his achievements in the 2008 Olympics. He was in a relationship with Wong Mew Choo, his teammate. However, according to the Star, Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo have ended their relationship.

His attributes as a player:
Datuk Lee Chong Wei is known for his extraordinary defensive play, combining fast reaction times with very quick movements towards attacking shots. This attributes him with an almost unnatural ability to retrieve powerful smashes, and return to a winning position within the rally. His ability to smash crosscourt towards his right side (opposite to the natural trajectory of a crosscourt smash for a right-handed player) is often a winning shot, especially after prolonged tiring of his opponent within the rally. He is an extremely fit player, who utilizes a relatively small physique and consistent, disciplined training program to last even the longest of badminton matches without appearing to get tired (using this tactically to his advantage, by wearing down his less fit opponents with clear shots). Criticisms are in his over-reliance of stamina and defensive play, sometimes not taking the initiative to attack when there is an opputunity to do so.