Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia’s badminton silver medalist at the last three Olympics, is eyeing a return to the sport as he recovers from early-stage nose-cancer.
Known for his legacy in Malaysia, Lee, 36, said that he recently finished two months of treatment and resumed training. His priority, however, will be to recover first as per his comeback-interview last week.
“I love badminton. More important is my health,” Lee said the press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. “Just recover first. How doctors say I can come back to the court, when I come back, I want to come back.”
“In the past, I managed to come back from an ankle injury and also an eight-month doping suspension but this was the biggest battle of my life.” Lee said. “I don’t know why God chose me to go through this but I have never cried so much in my life.”
“I went to Taiwan and was treated by seven doctors, four of whom are my fans. The biggest challenge was I had to eat or I would not have made it through the treatment.” he said “However, after three weeks of Proton therapy, I found it so hard to eat and my wife (Wong Mew Choo) who had to feed me, cried every time.”
“My neck had a scar from the treatment and that was why I stayed away from people. I also had no energy to talk.” he said. “But badminton means the world to me and I really want to get back on court. If my family had a choice, they want me to quit but I also know that they are my biggest source of support,” Chong Wei added.
Thankfully, Wei also declared that he is now free of the nose cancer he had been diagnosed with, according to New Straits Times.
In the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, Lee was defeated by China’s Lin Dan in the final. In the 2016 Olympic’s, he fell to Chen Long of China in the Finals. In addition, he lost four straight world championship finals to the same opponent from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, he was give an eight-month steroid ban, stripping him of his 2014 World Championship silver medal, but a panel said he had no intensions to cheat.
Known as Malaysia’s most successful Olympian, fans are eagerly waiting his comeback.
“I must see how my body [feels]. This is my dream, to play last track for me in one and a half years from now.” Lee said.
