Li Zongwei
On June 13, Beijing time, Malaysian badminton player Li Zongwei held a press conference to announce the end of his 19 year career and officially quit badminton. Li Zongwei also wrote down his voice on his microblog. He said: I want to fight with Lin Dan again. At the same time, he also revealed that he will take his wife on his honeymoon first after retirement.
Hello everyone, I'm Li Zongwei. After several struggles, I finally chose to hang up the racket, ending my badminton career in the Malaysian national team for nearly 20 years.
I'm sorry to disappoint the fans. If the situation permits, I also want to stand on the Olympic field for the fifth time and realize the Olympic gold medal dream. If my body can, I also want to carry the expectations of the Chinese people and continue to move forward under the national flag. If I can, I want to fight with Lin Dan again, if I can... But there is no if in life.
It's not an easy decision to put down the racket. My heart is full, but it's good to decide. Thank the coach, teammates, all employees of the Badminton Federation, physiotherapists, all friends who like me, love me, support me, have seen me play and have left me messages. Thank you. I can be me because of you along the way.
Many friends asked me what I plan to do in the future? In addition to a good rest, there are many things waiting for me to do, including fulfilling my promise, taking my wife on my honeymoon, getting married, and now, I finally have time to do it. Ha, is there any good place to recommend?
Dear friends, I'll get off at this stop first. I hope to continue to the next section of more wonderful life with your blessings.
To all my family friends and fans。 To everyone of you who have been a part of my life， thank you。 A real big sincere thank you。
Months ago， all of you knew I had cancer。 I fought it。 And I thought I fought it well。 I thought I could try one more time。
I am just someone who love to play badminton。 Someone who love my country。 I feared of retiring with regrets。 I was scared of not delivering that elusive Olympic gold for Malaysia。 So when I was cleared of cancer， I took up my racquet and trained once again。
After few days of light training， I wanted to get clearanyce from my doctor to heighten my training intensity， then i was dealt a major blow。 From that scan， doctor shook his head and said i might face the risk of recurrence if I continue to train。 Mew Choo crumbled crying。 She feared i might be stubborn and continue to pursue my dream。
I was at loss。 I thought 'How am I supposed to hang up my racket after nearly twenty years of competitive badminton？， ' How about my Olympic dreams？'
At home， i kept myself occupied with my two sons， Kingston and Terrence。 I bathed them， I fed them， I taught them badminton。 I spent time with them。 Most importantly， I really watched them grew up。
Then it struck me to finally make up my mind。 I shouldn’ t be so selfish。 I have played for myself， I have played for my country。 This time， I want to play the role of a father， for long long time。 I want to see them grow up to be proper men， to get married， to have kids。 I want to take care of my wife when she is old too。
So Yes， I have made my decision to quit。 I’ m sorry that I couldn’ t make it to Tokyo this time around。 And I’ m sorry I didn’ t deliver an Olympic gold。 But I know I’ ve no regrets as I’ ve tried my best。 My very best。
I hope my name Lee Chong Wei has inspired you all one way or another， same like the way you guys inspired me。 Without my family， my teammates， my coaches， and my supporters， I won’ t achieve anything。
To my fellow badminton players like the Lin Dans， the Taufiks， the Peter Gades， and Hyun ills。 Yup， my time is up。 Thank you for the great battles we had。 As amazing as it is， i think our era should be coming to an end now。 Momota， Victor， Yuqi and Zi Jia， do hold the fort well。 Make the world realise badminton is the best sport on earth。
To fellow Malaysian shuttlers， don’ t give up the dream。 Please remember there are actually thousands of Malaysians praying for your success。 Train harder everyday。 Always beat yesterday’ s training records。 Also， a sportsman life is short。 Don’ t end with regrets。 There is actually a young 5 years old Ali， Muthu or Ah Meng idolising you， making you their Malaysian superhero。 Don’ t disappoint them。 Play for the flag， play for Negaraku。
I had no regrets。 When i started playing badminton， all I wanted to do is to represent Malaysia。 And I believed I did it with pride and honour。
Well。 I’ m done。 Thank you very much to all of you。 Lee Chong Wei signing out。