Sorry for the late post of the London 2012 Olympics. The London 2012 Olympics ended last week on the 12th of August 2012.. The Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremony was great! I was following the Olympics but just didnt have time to blog about it! I will be blogging about Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Pandelela Rinong. Here is a blog post dedicated to Datuk Lee Chong Wei! =)
As all of you Malaysians have already know by now that Malaysia won 2 medals from Datuk Lee Chong Wei (Silver) and Pandelela Rinong (Bronze). I know that all Malaysians have hoped and prayed that Datuk Lee Chong Wei could win us a gold medal.. But unfortunately he couldnt.. However, we Malaysians are STILL PROUD OF HIM FOR HIS FIGHTING SPIRIT!!! It was a very very closed match.. You can see that Lin Dan was also feeling the pressure playing with Datuk Lee Chong Wei. Not forgetting, he was injured before the Olympics game.. Instead of blogging about it, this is the status update that I had posted on facebook after the game: Great Game DLCW!!! Eventhough Dato' Lee Chong Wei lost but he really tries his best and show great fighting spirit! A really really close match.. Congratulations DLCW!!! You still make Malaysians proud! Thank you for bringing back a silver for Malaysia! We still love and respect you! ♥
Is really sad to see him so emotionally down and especially when he was apologizing.. You don't owe any of us any apologies.. We all know you have given your very best. Below is a few pictures and articles about Datuk Lee Chong Wei that I would like to share in my blog.. It is taken from a few sources that have been credited. Thank you so much Datuk Lee Chong Wei! We will still be supporting you for all your others tournaments. Stay strong and kept on fighting!
Lee Chong Wei after the game.
Lee Chong Wei apologize! Is ok Lee Chong Wei.. We are still proud of you!
Monday August 6, 2012 The Star Online
I’m sorry, tweets Chong Wei
PETALING JAYA: “I'm sorry.”
National badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei has apologised to all Malaysians for failing to bring back the gold medal from the London 2012 Olympics.
Lee posted the apology via his Twitter handle @Lee_C_Wei about half-an-hour after the nail-biting battle with China's Lin Dan, which saw him going down in the rubber set.
The tweet has been re-tweeted over 16,000 times at press time.
#ThankYouLeeChongWei was trending at number three globally and hit the top spot locally while #LCW4GOLD ranked number two.
Gold medalist Lin Dan of China, center, silver medalist Lee Chong Wei, of Malaysia, left, and bronze medalist Chen Long, of China, pose in the podium of the men's singles badminton at the2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London.
Silver medalist Lee Chong Wei, of Malaysia, waves from the podium of the men's singlesbadminton at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. Chong Wei lost toChina's Lin Dan for a second time in an Olympic final
Heartbreak as Chong Wei falls to Lin Dan
Monday August 6, 2012 THE STAR ONLINE
LEE Chong Wei came agonisingly close to winning the gold but the Wembley curse ensured that China’s Lin Dan once again ruled the roost.
Chong Wei had hoped to make history as the first Malaysian to win an Olympic gold but it was Lin Dan and China who wrote themselves into the record books. Lin Dan as the first man to win the Olympic crown twice while China made an unprecedented sweep of all five titles at stake.
It was more agony for Chong Wei, who had to play second fiddle to Lin Dan yet again, losing 21-15, 10-21, 19-21 in a 79-minute thriller.
Lin Dan had also denied the Malaysian in the World Championship title at the same venue last year.
Down and out: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei is comforted by coaches Tey Seu Bok (right) and Rashid Sidek after his loss to Lin Dan at the Wembley Arena yesterday.
Chong Wei’s hope of laying to rest the Wembley demons will have to wait a while longer but there will be no Olympic redemption as London 2012 was his last Games.
And it wasn’t from want of trying. Chong Wei had looked set to finally end the Lin Dan hoodoo when he to raced to victory in the first game.
But in the end, Lin Dan’s staying power and mastery made all the difference as Chong Wei sank to the court in tears. He had finished second best again having lost to the Chinese ace in Beijing four years ago.
Being Malaysia’s only double Olympic medal winner was small consolation as Chong Wei had been determined to deliver the gold.
Chong Wei later apologised to Malaysians for his failure.
“I tried really hard and am sorry not to have won. I played better than I did in Beijing or the World Championships but it seems that I’m destined to play bridesmaid to Lin Dan.
Making history: Defending champion Lin Dan celebrates after beating Chong Wei. It was his second successive Olympic title. – Reuters
“I’m sorry for not getting the gold for the people of Malaysia,” he said.
Lin Dan said it had been a lot harder winning this time.
“A lot of sacrifice and hard work went into this. Chong Wei is a worthy opponent and I have a lot of respect for him,” he said.
“I look forward to resuming my rivalry with him. We will meet again in a league competition in China at the end of the month.”
Chong Wei said this was to have been his last Olympics although he intended to carry on for the moment.
“I plan to go on until the 2014 Asian Games. I also intend to win the World Championship and Commonwealth Games before calling it a day,” he said.
Chong Wei, who had almost missed the Games because of the ankle injury, faded a little from the middle of the second game, allowing Lin Dan’s magnificent range of strokes to flourish.
When Chong Wei’s final shot dropped long, Lin Dan, often described as the best player the game has seen, sprinted round the stadium, ripped off his shirt and wept in celebration, saluting the crowd as he held the Chinese flag.
Chong Wei cut an inconsolable figure as he sat alone on the empty court.
Neither is likely to play another Olympics. As a farewell to the Games, the final provided almost everything that could have been hoped for.
August 07, 2012
AUG 7 — Datuk Lee Chong Wei landed this morning to a warm golden welcome, despite the Olympic heartbreak on Sunday.
The badminton champion did not let the country down as he battled all the way to the final only to lose to a better player, the Chinese star Lin Dan, again.
You know who let Malaysia down? It’s the shocking number of sports officials who manage our sportsmen — the ones who select them, train them and accompany them to each and every competition across the world, in this case, the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Here’s the rub. Malaysia has funding for sports, sports schools, dedicated programmes and no shortage of sports officials to manage all of this.
But we have a dearth of talent. Pray tell, who after Lee will take on the mantle and challenge the Chinese in badminton? Will we end up like the Indonesians, as also-rans?
It is ridiculous that one man had to carry the hopes of 28 million Malaysians and this has been the case every four years. We pin our hopes on the few, the rare talents that make it to the world stage.
And when they make it, these officials bask in the shared glory of the moment. But if these sportsmen lose, there will be excuses and a plea to try again and a pledge to do better.
In most cases, the athletes, sportsmen and sportswomen will eventually retire from competitive events. Some will turn to coaching, some will move on.
But the same officials will continue in their positions of comfort and power despite the mediocrity in the results.
Malaysia needs a change in the top brass of sports. We need officials who have heart and smarts to nurture, develop and train our future athletes and sports people.
And we need them to also take the responsibility when there is failure. The old ways are gone. Why should sportsmen and sportswomen carry the burden of our hopes and aspirations?
What about these officials? Shouldn’t they bear the responsibility too, as they are using public funds for their programmes.
Otherwise, there will be no progress and our heartbreak will continue.
Chong Wei and Lin Dan save badminton
http://www.dailychilli.com
An emotional Chong Wei waves goodbye to his final Olympics after winning his second career silver at the Games.
Lee Chong Wei moved heaven and earth at the London Games on Sunday, in his bid to win Malaysia's first Olympic gold medal ever, but in the end he couldn't conquer badminton's highest peak.
China's Lin Dan overhauled Chong Wei in the final of the men's badminton singles to become the first man to defend the title and break our hearts once again.
Chong Wei charged out of the blocks to raise our hopes, but Lin dug deep for a 15–21 21–10 21–19 victory to deny him in their second successive Games final. They fought a 79-minute thriller, the conclusion of every point roared on by a packed crowd at Wembley Arena.
Chong Wei threw everything at his long-time nemesis, but he lost the final point when he pushed a lob past the baseline, sending Lin into a frenzy. As he wheeled away in ecstasy after sealing the gold, a distraught Chong Wei slumped to the court unable to believe he had Lin on the ropes but let him get away.
Lin Dan broke millions of Malaysian hearts when he snatched the gold from Chong Wei's final decision of the match.
"I apologise to all the Malaysian people. I wanted very much to win the first ever gold medal for my people," Chong Wei told reporters later. "I only prepared for two weeks because of injuries and had to take pain killers to play. I fought hard and I gave all my best to try to win."
"I thank all the supporters who came all the way from Malaysia," he added. "I feel sorry that I didn't win gold and feel disappointed that I couldn't deliver gold to the Malaysian team."
Chong Wei went into the tournament scrambling to be fit after sustaining an ankle injury in May, and after surviving a shaky first round win, he mowed through a succession of opponents to set up a chance of redemption against Lin.
Lin defeated Chong Wei at the Beijing Olympics four years ago to win an emotional gold medal on his home court, but on Sunday he had to survive withering pressure from our man who delivered the performance of a lifetime in the frenetic atmosphere of the arena. But it wasn't enough to get the better of the current world number one.
Coaches console Chong Wei after his defeat in an epic rally that saved badminton's reputation at the Olympics.
Chong Wei, who has held the number one ranking but never won a world or Asian Games title, was desperate to end our 48-year wait for an Olympic gold. He came agonisingly close, pushing to within two points of victory, but made a judgement call he may regret for years when he allowed the shuttlecock to fall and clip the baseline.
That opened the door for Lin, and with frenzied Chinese fans yelling "Kill! Kill!" Lin closed out the match to win the classic rally. He dashed madly to a corner of the venue to be wrapped up in a bear hug by coach Li Yongbo, while Chong Wei dropped to his knees as his coaches tried to console him.
Chong Wei, who tore an ankle tendon in May and was at one point doubtful to get on the plane for London, paid tribute to his Chinese foe after the battle.
"There can only be one Lin Dan in the world," he said. "We have other players like Taufik Hidayat, Peter Gade, Chen Long ... It's not an issue for me to play with those players but it's an issue for me to play Lin Dan."
Chong Wei celebrates his semi-final victory that would put him up once again for an Olympic medal.
Chong Wei thanked his vocal fans for going all the way to London to support him and was disappointed not to give them the gold they so dearly wanted. "I wanted to win so much that it became too much pressure. Everyone at home wanted me to win. I worked very hard but what is done is done."
Chong Wei's coach, Rashid Sidek, acknowledged the weight of expectation he had carried throughout the Games. "It is very frustrating because all the mission wanted him to win the first ever gold medal for Malaysia," said Rashid. "It was very disappointing but it was especially disappointing for him."
Malaysia's chef de mission Tun Ahmad Sarji said Chong Wei had given his all in the game. "It is like climbing Mount Everest—Lee was one or two steps from the summit, that is all," he said.
Lin also paid tribute to Chong Wei. "Lee is such a brilliant rival. This is quite lucky for me. I treasure the opportunities to play against him. I don't know if I'll play against him in another four years but we'll see each other in Chinese badminton tournaments."
Lin Dan and Chong Wei's rivalry and respect have pushed both men to the very best of their game and the sport.
Wembley Arena is used to seeing China sweep tournaments. A year ago they marched in holding all five world titles and marched back out having retained them all. While Lin was guarded about the impact of China's dominance on the sport, Chong Wei pulled no punches.
"It is good for China, but as for the other countries they have to work harder," he said. "Other countries need to have a succession plan and they need to work harder to stop China dominating this sport."
Lin said he hoped his epic final against Chong Wei would showcase the very best of badminton, after the sport was rocked by a match-throwing scandal that saw eight female players disqualified from the London Games.
"I really hope badminton isn't affected by the disqualifications in this tournament. This medal is a confirmation of the sport. I hope that my performance and Lee's performance today is evidence of that," he said.
He's a long way from London but Chong Wei's dad, Lee Ah Chai, cheers his son on the telly while watching the game in Bukit Mertajam.
Meanwhile, a long-delayed banquet to celebrate Lin's marriage beckons for the 28-year-old and his wife Xie Xingfang, herself a former world champion badminton player who took silver at the Beijing Games.
Delayed for years by his training for London, Lin said that when it came together he would invite Chong Wei and 2004 Athens champion Taufik Hidayat, both of whom have confirmed they will never play in another Games.
"I want to give my wife a perfect wedding," Lin said. "I definitely want to invite Lee and Taufik and other great players. It all depends on whether they have time. I don't ask for too many gifts, just a big hongbao," he joked.
Chong Wei's silver medal was Malaysia's first at the London Games and the fifth in total at the Olympics—three silver and two bronze—all in badminton.
Source: Reuters
Published: 6th August 2012
Thank you my dear fans for reading! =)
Thank you my dear fans for reading! =)
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