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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Lee Chong Wei

Lee Chong Wei is a professional Malaysian badminton player who is well known in the field for a lot of years. His prowess in the field earned him the title of 鈥淒ato鈥� and also the status of a national hero. Throughout his career, he has won a lot of medals in different international games and thus making him a treasured sportsman in the country.

Therefore, this article will explore the ten interesting facts about the sportsman so that it can give the reader a deeper insight into who he is and the game that he is famed for. Furthermore, the information from the article can be a great source of trivia questions with family and friends during game nights.

1 He started playing badminton at an early age

The player was born in October 1982 and he started getting into the game at an early age. Lee was influenced by his father and he began to learn badminton when he was eleven years old. Each day after he came back from school, he would train under a local coach who grew his skill in the game. He was later discovered by Misbun Sidek who was a former leading Malaysian badminton player who then drafted him into the national squad when he was just 17 years.

2 His first option was basketball

The player had not always wanted to play badminton as his first choice had been basketball. The player had to take up badminton after his mother stopped him from going outside to play basketball because of the scorching heat. This is interesting in that it shows that he was his mother鈥檚 favourite as she did not want his son to go play basketball because of the sun.

3 He held the World No. 1 ranking for quite some time

The player was exceptional in the field of badminton in that he held the World No. 1 ranking for 199 consecutive weeks from August 21, 2008, to 14^th June 2012. This is interesting in that he is the only Malaysian to hold such a prestige title for more than a year. His achievements are a source of motivation for other young sportsmen who want to join the field as they see that they can achieve great things.

4 He suffered an ankle injury

After retaining the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold title in April 2012, the player injured an ankle during the Thomas Cup. This set him back because he was out of the game for a few weeks. After he recovered, he then went to play in the London Olympic games that same year. Je reached the finals but he lost to Lin Dan and he had to contend with a silver medal again.

However, he won the Japan Open and Denmark Open after he returned which was a great win. It also shows that his streak of bad luck did not last long as he won the two games. Having gotten back on his game, he won the 2013 Korea Open title for the third time and also, scooped his ninth Malaysian Open title and thus breaking the eight titles that had been held by Wong Peng Soon.

5 His achievements

The player won several tiles before he had an ankle injury. In 2004, he won the Chinese Taipei Opens and the Malaysia Open. He also won his second Malaysia open title that following year. 2006 was a good year for Chong Wei has won three titles, his third Malaysia Open, the Swiss Open and the Asian Badminton Championships. This shows that the player had a successful career as he kept winning title after title.

6 Tested positive for doping

In October 2014, it was confirmed by the Badminton Association of Malaysia that one of the country鈥檚 leading shuttlers had tested positive for dexamethasone during a recent world championship. Although the name of the athlete was not disclosed, many people suspected that it was Chong Wei whom they were talking about. These claims were later confirmed when further testing was done and it was confirmed that he was doping.

7 He was suspended

After the doping charges were confirmed by the Badminton Association of Malaysia, Chong Wei was served with a temporary suspension. This ban was lifted in 2015 but all did not go back to normal for the player immediately as the silver medal that he had won in the 2014 World Championships was taken away.

After resuming, the played in the Sudirman Cup and he won all three matches that he played in the tournament. This was a strong comeback having damaged his reputation with the doping charges and therefore, it was his chance to redeem himself.

8 Awards

Chong Wei has won many awards throughout his illustrious career. He has won the Penang Sportsman Award 7 times, the National Sportsman Award 4 times, the BWF Player of the Year Award 4 times, the TYT Prime Award Trophy 3 times, the Olympian of the Year Award 2 times and the Malaysian Sportswriters Association Award, Television’s Most Popular Icon Award, RTMs.

9 Appointed UNICEF national ambassador

Chong Wei鈥檚 career flourished in that many opportunities presented themselves to him and he was appointed as UNICEF Malaysia鈥檚 national ambassador. This shows that the player was a valued member of the society to be appointed. This title is also a source of motivation for young people who want to bring change and impact society as they see that their dreams are valid.

10 His personal life

The player is married to his long-time companion and teammate Wong Mew Choo. The couple got married in November 2012. They have two children named Kingston and Terrance. Furthermore, Chong Wei has an autobiography that is titled Dare to be a Champion which was published in 2012. The book tells of his experience in the field of badminton.