In a poor family in Malaysia, Lee Chong Wei was born. His arrival was not all smooth sailing, as the third child in the family, Li Zongwei's birth was faced with the dilemma of being given away.
At that time, many relatives persuaded Li's mother: "Hurry up and beat the child!" You've got both children and you've made up a 'good' word, so there's no need to continue to have extra children."
However, Li's mother firmly insisted on her opinion. In her heart, as long as she is pregnant, she will definitely give birth to the child. This seemingly simple decision has given birth to a future legend in the badminton world.
Lee Chong Wei's childhood life was not easy. With the family's financial constraints and the father's lack of a stable job, the pressure of raising multiple children weighs heavily on the parents. In order to alleviate the financial pressure on the family, there was a suggestion to give the young Li Zongwei to others, but Li's mother resolutely refused, she would rather suffer herself than keep the child by her side.
In such a difficult environment, Lee Chong Wei slowly grew. Although the family was poor, it did not crush the family, but instead cultivated Lee Chong Wei's tenacious and unyielding character. From an early age, he knew that he had to share responsibilities with his family, and this sense of responsibility became a source of motivation for him to never give up on the court.
Lee Chong Wei's story was destined to be extraordinary from the beginning, and his mother's steadfastness and family's hardships laid a solid foundation for his badminton career. This boy, who started out in poverty, is sure to shine in the world of badminton.
Li Zongwei's decision changed the trajectory of his life in a single thought, and also created a legend for the world of badminton.
Lee Chong Wei's athletic career did not start out in badminton. When he was in elementary school, because of his short stature, Li's mother was worried about his physical development, so she sent him to learn basketball. She had hoped that the sport would make Lee Chong Wei grow taller and stronger, but fate often likes to play tricks on people.
Learning basketball not only failed to make Li Zongwei get his wish, but made him short and dark, seeing this result, Li's mother was also very surprised, and hurriedly helped her son withdraw from basketball lessons.
By chance, Lee Chong Wei's badminton talent was discovered. One day, Father Li took his son to visit a friend who was a badminton coach. While the adults were chatting, the young Li Zongwei quietly picked up the badminton racket that was set aside.
Surprisingly, he was able to make the right swing of the racket naturally, as if he was born with a knack of how to play badminton.
At this time, the coach accidentally saw this unusual scene, he was very surprised, and immediately walked to Li Zongwei's side and carefully observed the boy's movements.
Li Zongwei waved his hands sorely, and the coach slowly sorted out his excitement, he walked in front of Li Zongwei's father, and said excitedly: "Brother, this little boy is a genius in badminton, give him to me, I will definitely do my best to train him and make him an excellent player."
At the invitation of his coach, Lee Chong Wei started his badminton career. However, talent doesn't mean it's all smooth sailing. In the small town he swept all opponents, and after entering the state team, he sat on the cold bench for three consecutive years due to his slow growth in height and thin physique.
In the past three years, not only did the coaches not value him, but also his peers did not value his overly thin compatriots. However, Lee Chong Wei did not give up, and he always stood by his beliefs. Although he is often ignored and despised for himself, he still holds himself to the standards of a professional athlete, constantly exercising and developing his athletic potential.
In 1999, 17-year-old Lee Chong Wei entered the national team with excellent performance and became a representative of professional players, heralding the birth of a badminton legend. His story teaches us that talent is important, but persistence and hard work are also indispensable success factors.
Lee Chong Wei's talent quickly became evident after stepping into the professional arena. In 2000, he defeated North Indonesian rising star Sony in the competition, attracting the attention of many badminton fans.
But what made Lee's name resonate around the world was his years of rivalry with China's Lin Dan.
In 2004, under the nourishment of a happy family, Lee Chong Wei was appointed to serve as a Thomas Cup qualifier at the age of 22. In the competition, he passed five levels and defeated countless outstanding players, but in the final championship match, he unfortunately lost to Lin Dan, who is known as a badminton genius.
The clash kicked off a 15-year rivalry between the two.
In the years that followed, Lee Chong Wei's career shone brightly. In 2005, he won the second title of his life with a comfortable victory in Chinese Taipei. In 2006, he continued his efforts and won the first place in Malaysia's badminton men's singles with his amazing training intensity.
In 2008, he won the men's singles title at the Badminton World Federation Superseries Finals at the beginning of the year.
However, every time Lin Dan meets Lee Chong Wei in a major event, Lee Chong Wei is always ranked second. This has happened many times, with fans jokingly saying, "Lee Chong Wei loves Lin Dan so much that every time he will fight other opponents before the final, and then lose to Lin Dan in a very dedicated way in the final fight." "
Therefore, Li Zongwei also gave him the nickname of "the second oldest in the badminton world".
Despite Lee Chong Wei's repeated defeats, he never gave up. He knows that his technique and fitness will need to be improved if he is to be able to overcome his toughest opponents. His efforts were commended in the men's singles semi-finals of badminton at Rio 2016.
He defeated rival Lin Dan for the first time, fulfilling a long-cherished dream.
Although Lee Chong Wei lost to China's Chen Long in the final and missed out on the Olympic title, this "matchup of the century" against Lin Dan is undoubtedly an important milestone in his career.
When it comes to the top players in the badminton world, Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan are both well-deserved, although Lee Chong Wei failed to win the Olympic Games, his strength and influence are undoubted.
This rivalry with Lin Dan not only shaped Lee Chong Wei's career, but also created one of the most exciting matchups in badminton history. The contest between the two has gone beyond the ordinary difference between victory and defeat and has become a perfect expression of sportsmanship.
Despite his repeated defeats, Lee Chong Wei's never-say-die spirit and outstanding skills have earned him the respect and affection of fans around the world.
In 2018, when Lee Chong Wei's career reached its peak, fate presented him with a brutal challenge. After a match against Lin Dan known as the "showdown of the century", Lee Chong Wei was diagnosed with nose cancer.
This thunderbolt-like news shook the entire badminton world and put Lee Chong Wei's life in an unprecedented predicament.
In the face of the challenge of cancer, Lee Chong Wei showed the same tenacity on the court. During the treatment, he needed 33 sessions of 25 minutes 6 times a week for a total of 6 weeks.
This treatment process was extremely painful, and every time he underwent electrotherapy, Lee Chong Wei couldn't help but cry, as he himself said: "The period of cancer was the most difficult time of my life."
The side effects of electrotherapy caused Li Zongwei's body to suffer greatly. His neck began to stiffen and his throat narrowed. Eating even the most basic of things has become a painful experience, and every time you swallow food, your throat hurts like a needle prick.
In order to be able to eat, Lee Chong Wei had to spray an anesthetic into his throat with the help of his wife, Huang Miaozhu.
However, as the treatment progresses, the throat gradually develops resistance and the effect of the anesthetic gradually diminishes. Li Zongwei could only endure the severe pain and swallow the food one bite at a time. Huang Miaozhu's heart was like a knife, watching her husband suffer pain, but she could only endure her grief and accompany her husband.
In these difficult days, Huang Miaozhu has always been the most solid backing for Lee Chong Wei. Not only does she have to take care of her seriously ill husband, but she also has to take care of her young children, while also taking on the responsibilities of the family.
This makes her often cry silently in the middle of the night, lamenting when such days will end, but in front of Li Zongwei, she always shows a strong appearance and gives her husband unlimited support and encouragement.
Li Zongwei sensed his wife's hardship. Although he could not comfort him in words, he tried to cooperate with the treatment and actively recuperate his body, hoping to recover quickly and reduce the burden on his wife.
Lee Chong Wei and his family spent nearly NT$100 million to treat his cancer. The astronomical expense, even if it was high, was worth it, after all, it was saving his life.
During the difficult treatment process, Lee Chong Wei did not give up his belief in life and his love for badminton.
In November 2018, Lee Chong Wei solemnly stated at a press conference that he would never leave the badminton world, a promise that was both a constraint on himself and a response to those who cared about him.
This experience of battling cancer not only tested Lee Chong Wei's will, but also showed the deep affection between him and his family. He showed courage in the face of threats to his life, and showed the strength of his family to support each other in difficult situations.
Lee Chong Wei's story has gone beyond the realm of sports competition and has become a model of people's pursuit of excellence.
After long-term treatment, Lee Chong Wei's cancer was gradually brought under control. However, this also made his physical condition much worse than before. Despite this, Lee Chong Wei has not given up on his dream of returning to the ring.
Despite the dissuasion of doctors and family, he insisted on returning to the training ground, hoping to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in time.
In order to achieve this goal, Lee Chong Wei increased the intensity of his training. However, the long-term treatment caused his muscles to atrophy, and his body that had not been exercised for a long time also went into problems. The overtraining again led to Lee Chong Wei's physical problems and he had to be hospitalized again.
This time, the doctor in charge of treating him couldn't hold back any longer, and he bluntly emphasized to Li Zongwei in front of everyone: "Young man, you can't train anymore, your legs can no longer withstand your current training intensity."
In the face of the doctor's remarks, Huang Miaozhu, who has always been worried about her husband's health, also panicked. She used her children as a reason to sincerely persuade her husband to quit the sports circle.
Under the tearful persuasion of his wife and the serious warning of the doctor, Lee Chong Wei finally began to realize that it might be time to let go of the badminton career he loved.
After careful consideration, for the sake of his family and his own health, Lee Chong Wei made the difficult decision to retire. In June 2019, he held a press conference to officially announce the news.
This decision has pierced the hearts of countless fans, but it has also shown people the sense of responsibility of a great athlete.
After retiring, Lee Chong Wei's life changed dramatically. He shifted his focus from the fierce competition with his opponents to the warmth and warmth of family life. He once dominated the badminton court, but now he is a dutiful father and husband.
At the peak of his career, Lee Chong Wei began to focus more on accompanying his children, personally transporting them to and from school, and experiencing the trivial but full of happiness in his daily life.
In his free time, he and his wife, Huang Miaozhu, enjoy the world of two people and make up for the good times missed by the competition.
In 2020, Lee Chong Wei and his wife Huang Miaozhu went abroad together. During the trip, the two took a warm group photo intimately, and used this photo to record this rare leisure time.
In this photo, the image of the athlete fighting on the field has disappeared and is replaced by a happy husband and father.
From the badminton court to the stage of life, Lee Chong Wei tells us what real victory should look like with his personal experience. No matter how difficult and difficult the situation, he can face it bravely and find his own happiness in the face of adversity.
Now, although Lee Chong Wei has left the ring, he has found new meaning and happiness in ordinary life, and perhaps, this is the biggest victory in his life.