One of the greatest ever Badminton player, Lee Chong Wei celebrates his 38th birthday on October 21, 2020 (Wednesday). Lee is a three-time Olympics silver medallist making him the most successful Malaysian Olympian in history. He has also won three World Championships silver medals and a bronze and is a five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Lee Chong Wei won numerous laurels and medals throughout his career and is celebrated as one of the greatest ever to hold the badminton racket. As he celebrates his 38th birthday, take a look at some lesser-known things about Lee Chong Wei. Sudheer Babu Confirms Signing a Biopic on Famous Badminton Player and Coach Pullela Gopichand.

Lee initially wanted to become a basketball player but had to take up badminton after his mother stopped him from stepping outside to play badminton due to the scorching heat. He started playing badminton at the age of 11 and trained under Teh Peng Huat. At 17, he was drafted into the national squad as a reserve player and this is where he met the love of his life and future wife Wong Mew Choo, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Lee Chong Wei went on to become one of the greatest ever badminton players and shared great rivalry with contemporary Lin Dan.

  • Lee Chong Wei was born to Lee Ah Chai and Khor Kim Choi at Bagan Serai in Perak, Malaysia on October 21, 1982

  • Lee was initially interested in basketball but took up badminton after his mother banned him from playing basketball due to the heat outside

  • He held the World No 1 ranking for 199 consecutive weeks from August 21, 2008, to June 14, 2012, and is the Only Malaysian badminton player to hold the top ranking for more than a year

  • Lee was conferred the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) by the state of Penang for his silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

  • He is a three-time Olympics silver medallist and has won a silver medal in each of the last three Olympic summer games

  • Lee Chong Wei received the Olympian of the year in 2008, 2012 and 2016

  • He married his childhood sweetheart Wong Mew Choo in 2012 and they have two children

Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement from badminton in 2019 after being diagnosed with nasopharynx cancer ending an illustrious 19-year career that saw him heralded as one of Malaysia’s all-time great athlete and among the world’s greatest badminton players. He had not played since July 2018 after suffering from a respiratory-related disorder.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 21, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).