Gallant Lee shows true grit in face of adversaries

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Datuk Talib Zulpilip

KUCHING: Despite not able to clinch the coveted gold medal at the London Olympics, Datuk Lee Chong Wei received glowing tributes from badminton fans and sports personalities.

A courageous Lee went down fighting in rubber sets, 21-15, 10-21 and 21-19 in the hands of nemesis Lin Dan in one of the most closely contested finals in the history of badminton in the Olympics.

The match last night brought Malaysia to a stand still as the nation watched with bated breath, history in the making.

“It was a very close game.  Datuk Lee Chong Wei has done Malaysia proud.  He has been ranked No.1 in the world for record time.  He won silver in the Beijing Olympics. Despite still recovering from his recent injury, Lee fought his way to the finals in London. Now he brought us another silver medal,” remarked Datuk Talib Zulpilip, Assistant Minister of Tourism.

“Well done. That is true grit. This is determination that we all as Malaysians could be proud of. Although some Malaysians are disappointed with the result, we must still say thank you to Lee. Hopefully, Malaysian will send messages of gratitude to Lee regardless of race and hope that parents will name their boys after him. That would be the best form of honouring our hero,” added Talib who is also chairman of SEDC Sarawak.

Abdul Karim Hamzah

“It was a great game by two great badminton players. Lee lost because Lin Dan was a better player tonight. We hope Malaysia could produce many more badminton players like Lee Chong Wei in future,” commented Abdul Karim Hamzah, the Sukma XV deputy chef de mission who is also Assistant Minister of Youth Development.

“The match was a game of badminton at the highest level.

We all wanted Lee to win the first Olympic gold for the country, but its not to be this time.

“However, we must still be proud of Lee’s performance.  We can never know how he feels right now. Imagine, this match will be playing in his mind over and over.  It is a case of so near, yet so far”, said Football Association of Sarawak president Datu Sudarsono Osman.

“It was a tough game that went into rubber.

Lee has all the moments to glorify this great nation of ours by his tenacity and sheer determination.

Even though he is carrying an injury, Lee has shown great courage and a ‘neverdie’ attitude.

This is a trademark noble virtue of a great Malaysian sportsman that the world knows,” remarked Sukma XV deputy chef de mission Abdul Rahman Junaidi who is also Pantai Damai assemblyman.