Malaysia's badminton king Lee Chong Wei, a three-time Olympic silver medalist and former world number one, announced his retirement on Thursday, as prolonged health issues after battling cancer dashed hopes of a comeback.

Tears as former world number one badminton star Lee Chong Wei retires

Cancer-hit badminton star Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement Thursday, ending a brilliant career in which he collected a swathe of honours but never won a world or Olympic title.

"My decision to retire is a heavy one. I really love this sport. But it is a demanding sport. I thank all Malaysians for the past 19 years," a teary-eyed Lee, 36, told a news conference.&nbsp;

Lee, a father of two, was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer last year and after intensive treatment in Taiwan, said he was keen to play again.

But he hasn't trained since April and after missing a series of self-imposed deadlines to return to competition, his hopes of being eligible for next year's Tokyo Olympics were remote.

The three-time Olympic silver medallist said he would now like to rest and spend time with his family, and even take his wife on a "honeymoon", a trip that has been delayed since their marriage in 2012.

Cancer-hit badminton star Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement Thursday, ending a brilliant career in which he collected a swathe of honours but never won a world or Olympic title.

Cancer-hit badminton star Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement Thursday, ending a brilliant career in which he collected a swathe of honours but never won a world or Olympic title. "My decision to retire is a heavy one. I really love this sport. But it is a demanding sport. I thank all Malaysians for the past 19 years," a teary-eyed Lee, 36, told a news conference. Lee, a father of two, was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer last year and after intensive treatment in Taiwan, said he was keen to play again. But he hasn't trained since April and after missing a series of self-imposed deadlines to return to competition, his hopes of being eligible for next year's Tokyo Olympics were remote. The three-time Olympic silver medallist said he would now like to rest and spend time with his family, and even take his wife on a "honeymoon", a trip that has been delayed since their marriage in 2012.

Badminton star Lee Chong Wei retires after cancer battle

Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei has revealed how he broke down in tears after learning he had nose cancer -- and detailed the "nightmare" treatment that left him unable to speak or eat.

Lee, who is eyeing a return to action next year, told The Star that he was about to leave for a training session when his wife broke the news, after she received a call from a doctor.

"She came towards me, hugged me and cried. I knew it was bad news. It's nose cancer, she broke the news," the 36-year-old said, according to the Malaysian newspaper.&nbsp;

"My badminton bag slipped from my grasp and I started to cry too. I slumped on the sofa crying and asked why it had to be me."

The three-time Olympic silver medallist said the cancer was detected following a check-up in July, after he had been unwell.

It wasn't until September that officials revealed he had cancer and was having treatment in Taiwan -- opting for specialists there rather than in China, where he feared his story may be leaked, or Japan or South Korea because of the language barrier.

Lee, the former long-time world number one, said he went through 33 sessions of proton therapy treatment, where beams are aimed at the cancer, calling it "a nightmare".

"By the third week, it has taken a toll on my throat. I could not speak or eat," he said.&nbsp;

"I'm just so glad that the worst is over now."

Lee, now down to 15th in the world rankings, is expected to return to training next month, although he is still waiting for the all-clear from his doctors.

He said his comeback was motivated by the prospect of playing a fifth Olympics at Tokyo 2020, after finishing runner-up in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

"I really want to go for one more Olympics to make it my fifth consecutive appearance," said Chong Wei.

"No athlete from Malaysia has ever competed five times at the Olympics and I want to create history. It's not an easy feat to make it to five Olympics, that's equivalent to 20 years!"

Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei has revealed how he broke down in tears after learning he had nose cancer -- and detailed the "nightmare" treatment that left him unable to speak or eat.

Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei has revealed how he broke down in tears after learning he had nose cancer -- and detailed the "nightmare" treatment that left him unable to speak or eat. Lee, who is eyeing a return to action next year, told The Star that he was about to leave for a training session when his wife broke the news, after she received a call from a doctor. "She came towards me, hugged me and cried. I knew it was bad news. It's nose cancer, she broke the news," the 36-year-old said, according to the Malaysian newspaper. "My badminton bag slipped from my grasp and I started to cry too. I slumped on the sofa crying and asked why it had to be me." The three-time Olympic silver medallist said the cancer was detected following a check-up in July, after he had been unwell. It wasn't until September that officials revealed he had cancer and was having treatment in Taiwan -- opting for specialists there rather than in China, where he feared his story may be leaked, or Japan or South Korea because of the language barrier. Lee, the former long-time world number one, said he went through 33 sessions of proton therapy treatment, where beams are aimed at the cancer, calling it "a nightmare". "By the third week, it has taken a toll on my throat. I could not speak or eat," he said. "I'm just so glad that the worst is over now." Lee, now down to 15th in the world rankings, is expected to return to training next month, although he is still waiting for the all-clear from his doctors. He said his comeback was motivated by the prospect of playing a fifth Olympics at Tokyo 2020, after finishing runner-up in 2008, 2012 and 2016. "I really want to go for one more Olympics to make it my fifth consecutive appearance," said Chong Wei. "No athlete from Malaysia has ever competed five times at the Olympics and I want to create history. It's not an easy feat to make it to five Olympics, that's equivalent to 20 years!"

Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei reveals tears over cancer diagnosis

Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei has early-stage nose cancer and is being treated in Taiwan, sports officials said Saturday, after weeks of speculation about his health.

The country's most successful Olympian ever, who enjoys superstar status in his homeland, was responding well to treatment, they said.&nbsp;

But the illness will nevertheless be a devastating blow for the 35-year-old, coming after he clawed his way back up the rankings following a doping ban to play some of the best badminton of his life.

Speculation had been swirling about his health since he stopped turning up for training in July, and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announced that he was pulling out of the World Championships and Asian Games.

Subsequent reports said the three-time Olympic silver medallist had travelled to Taiwan for treatment but officials remained tight-lipped about what he was suffering from.

In a statement Saturday, BAM president Norza Zakaria said "that the player has been diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer.

"(Lee) is currently in Taiwan seeking treatment and I am pleased to inform you that he is responding well to his treatment and is currently resting and recuperating amongst family and close friends. &nbsp;

"BAM is in constant contact with (Lee) and we will offer any support we can to our legend."

Missing the World Championships in July and August was a particular blow for the former world number one as the tournament's top honour is one of the major awards missing from his trophy cabinet.

Badminton is hugely popular in Malaysia and one of the few sports where the country's athletes perform well at the highest levels.&nbsp;

Lee's unsuccessful attempts to capture Malaysia's first ever Olympic gold medal at three consecutive editions of the Games were followed avidly back home, as was his long-running rivalry with Chinese superstar Lin Dan.

His last shot at Olympic gold at Rio 2016 ended in failure when the Malaysian lost out to China's Chen Long in a nail-biting final.

Lee, currently ranked number four in the world, had said Rio would be his last Olympics.

Lee had fought his way back to the top of the rankings after returning from a doping ban in 2015.&nbsp;

He tested positive for a forbidden anti-inflammatory drug at the 2014 world championships and many feared it would end his career, but he bounced back strongly.

Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei has early-stage nose cancer and is being treated in Taiwan, sports officials said Saturday, after weeks of speculation about his health.

Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei has early-stage nose cancer and is being treated in Taiwan, sports officials said Saturday, after weeks of speculation about his health. The country's most successful Olympian ever, who enjoys superstar status in his homeland, was responding well to treatment, they said. But the illness will nevertheless be a devastating blow for the 35-year-old, coming after he clawed his way back up the rankings following a doping ban to play some of the best badminton of his life. Speculation had been swirling about his health since he stopped turning up for training in July, and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announced that he was pulling out of the World Championships and Asian Games. Subsequent reports said the three-time Olympic silver medallist had travelled to Taiwan for treatment but officials remained tight-lipped about what he was suffering from. In a statement Saturday, BAM president Norza Zakaria said "that the player has been diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer. "(Lee) is currently in Taiwan seeking treatment and I am pleased to inform you that he is responding well to his treatment and is currently resting and recuperating amongst family and close friends. "BAM is in constant contact with (Lee) and we will offer any support we can to our legend." Missing the World Championships in July and August was a particular blow for the former world number one as the tournament's top honour is one of the major awards missing from his trophy cabinet. Badminton is hugely popular in Malaysia and one of the few sports where the country's athletes perform well at the highest levels. Lee's unsuccessful attempts to capture Malaysia's first ever Olympic gold medal at three consecutive editions of the Games were followed avidly back home, as was his long-running rivalry with Chinese superstar Lin Dan. His last shot at Olympic gold at Rio 2016 ended in failure when the Malaysian lost out to China's Chen Long in a nail-biting final. Lee, currently ranked number four in the world, had said Rio would be his last Olympics. Lee had fought his way back to the top of the rankings after returning from a doping ban in 2015. He tested positive for a forbidden anti-inflammatory drug at the 2014 world championships and many feared it would end his career, but he bounced back strongly.

Badminton star Lee has cancer, in Taiwan for treatment

Star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth ended his run at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Sunday with a silver medal in the badminton men's singles final.

Srikanth conceded defeat against Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei.

The 25-year old from Guntur, who recently rose to the number one spot at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings, comfortably sealed the first game 21-19. However, the Malaysian shuttler bounced back in the next two games, registering a 14-21, 14-21 victory over his Indian opponent to clinch the gold.

Earlier in the day, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal won the gold medal after a 21-18, 23-21 victory in the all-Indian women's singles final against PV Sindhu.

With Srikanth's feat, India continues to stand third in the points table with 65 medals, including 26 gold, 19 silver and 20 bronze medals.&nbsp

(With inputs from ANI)

Srikanth conceded defeat against Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei.

Star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth ended his run at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Sunday with a silver medal in the badminton men's singles final. Srikanth conceded defeat against Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei. The 25-year old from Guntur, who recently rose to the number one spot at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings, comfortably sealed the first game 21-19. However, the Malaysian shuttler bounced back in the next two games, registering a 14-21, 14-21 victory over his Indian opponent to clinch the gold. Earlier in the day, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal won the gold medal after a 21-18, 23-21 victory in the all-Indian women's singles final against PV Sindhu. With Srikanth's feat, India continues to stand third in the points table with 65 medals, including 26 gold, 19 silver and 20 bronze medals. (With inputs from ANI)

Kidambi Srikanth settles for silver at CWG 2018

HS Prannoy is not worried about familiar foes such as three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei, and says it is the surprise element of the unheralded shutters, who could pose a bigger threat to his medal aspirations at next month&#39;s Commonwealth Games.

Set to make his CWG debut, Prannoy said he is in good shape but would not take any player lightly, especially the lesser-known ones.

&quot;There are many players such as Rajiv Ouseph and Lee Chong Wei who have played in the past at CWG. But it is the others who we should be wary of. There are others who are actually good and can trouble you on certain days because you don&#39;t know how they play,&quot; Prannoy told PTI.

Last season, Prannoy made the transition from a rare talent to an emerging star when he outclassed two stalwarts&nbsp;former world no 1 Chong Wei and Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion Chen Long of China in successive days to reach the semifinals at Indonesia Super Series.

His victories became part of the badminton folklore as he emerged as the first Indian to beat the Big Three&nbsp;Chong Wei, Chen Long and Lin Dan (2014 French Open).

His twin wins cleared the way for compatriot Kidambi Srikanth, who grabbed the opportunity and clinched the premier title&nbsp;his first among the four crowns that he won last season.

Prannoy continued his impressive run and stitched together consistent performances to reach the quarters and semifinals regularly.

He clinched the US Open Grand Prix Gold, before dispatching Chong Wei again at the Denmark Open, putting to rest all doubts about his prowess.

Despite being laid low by foot warts, Prannoy showed tremendous grit as he recovered quickly and dished out some sensational performances at the All England Championship last week, to reach his maiden quarterfinals.

&quot;I didn&#39;t give much thought before the All England because I had started training after recovering from foot corns just a couple of weeks before the tournament,&quot; he said.

&quot;But CWG should be good. I&#39;m very happy to be in the CWG team. I have good time to prepare. In the next few days, I will put in more effort in training and be in better shape. I am looking for good six days of badminton.&quot;

The first spark in Prannoy was seen by his father, a former All India Air Force champion and a self-taught coach, who taught his son the initial tricks of the trade.

From a promising youngster winning a silver medal at the 2010 Youth Olympics, Prannoy is now one of the most dependable shuttlers, ranked 12th in the world and second only to world no 2 Srikanth in India.

His journey in the senior circuit has been ridden with injuries and heartbreaks and they affected his training and progress. A knee injury in 2011 before the nationals was followed by a back injury in 2012, which took more than half a year to heal.

The following year, Prannoy reached the finals of the Tata Open. In 2014, a series of semifinal appearances at Bitburger, India Open Grand Prix Gold, Macau and a final berth at Vietnam was followed by a maiden Grand Prix Gold win at Indonesia, which saw him knocking on the top 20 bracket.

However, another injury-marred year followed, but he still managed to reach a career-best world ranking of 12. The highlight of the season was his sensational win over two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan of China at the French Open opener.

Next year, Prannoy clinched the 2016 Swiss Open but again sustained a toe injury at the Singapore Open and subsequently missed the Thomas Cup.

He was in rampaging form at the 2017 Premier Badminton League in January but injuries to his knee and toe once again came back to haunt him. However, his decision to skip a few events in Malaysia and Singapore and regain full fitness under the watchful eye of Indonesian coach Mulyo Handono showed results as he exploded in Indonesia.

The 25-year-old from Kerela also clinched his maiden National title, beating Srikanth in the final. He was in good form in the PBL 2018 but then developed foot warts, which saw him completely skip events at Malaysia and Indonesia and only turn up for appearance&#39;s sake at India Open.

&quot;It&#39;s not easy to recover from injuries, train and reach top 20. I am happy the way I come back after each injury and I might not have won a super series tournament but I always believe something big will happen,&quot; Prannoy said. 
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Prannoy said he is not thinking much about the event and put undue pressure on himself.

&quot;Pressure of a big event is different as there are expectations. So it is better I don&#39;t think about it and just go and play my natural game,&quot; he signed off.&nbsp;

The badminton player is set to make his CWG debut

HS Prannoy is not worried about familiar foes such as three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei, and says it is the surprise element of the unheralded shutters, who could pose a bigger threat to his medal aspirations at next month's Commonwealth Games. Set to make his CWG debut, Prannoy said he is in good shape but would not take any player lightly, especially the lesser-known ones. "There are many players such as Rajiv Ouseph and Lee Chong Wei who have played in the past at CWG. But it is the others who we should be wary of. There are others who are actually good and can trouble you on certain days because you don't know how they play," Prannoy told PTI. Last season, Prannoy made the transition from a rare talent to an emerging star when he outclassed two stalwarts former world no 1 Chong Wei and Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion Chen Long of China in successive days to reach the semifinals at Indonesia Super Series. His victories became part of the badminton folklore as he emerged as the first Indian to beat the Big Three Chong Wei, Chen Long and Lin Dan (2014 French Open). His twin wins cleared the way for compatriot Kidambi Srikanth, who grabbed the opportunity and clinched the premier title his first among the four crowns that he won last season. Prannoy continued his impressive run and stitched together consistent performances to reach the quarters and semifinals regularly. He clinched the US Open Grand Prix Gold, before dispatching Chong Wei again at the Denmark Open, putting to rest all doubts about his prowess. Despite being laid low by foot warts, Prannoy showed tremendous grit as he recovered quickly and dished out some sensational performances at the All England Championship last week, to reach his maiden quarterfinals. "I didn't give much thought before the All England because I had started training after recovering from foot corns just a couple of weeks before the tournament," he said. "But CWG should be good. I'm very happy to be in the CWG team. I have good time to prepare. In the next few days, I will put in more effort in training and be in better shape. I am looking for good six days of badminton." The first spark in Prannoy was seen by his father, a former All India Air Force champion and a self-taught coach, who taught his son the initial tricks of the trade. From a promising youngster winning a silver medal at the 2010 Youth Olympics, Prannoy is now one of the most dependable shuttlers, ranked 12th in the world and second only to world no 2 Srikanth in India. His journey in the senior circuit has been ridden with injuries and heartbreaks and they affected his training and progress. A knee injury in 2011 before the nationals was followed by a back injury in 2012, which took more than half a year to heal. The following year, Prannoy reached the finals of the Tata Open. In 2014, a series of semifinal appearances at Bitburger, India Open Grand Prix Gold, Macau and a final berth at Vietnam was followed by a maiden Grand Prix Gold win at Indonesia, which saw him knocking on the top 20 bracket. However, another injury-marred year followed, but he still managed to reach a career-best world ranking of 12. The highlight of the season was his sensational win over two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan of China at the French Open opener. Next year, Prannoy clinched the 2016 Swiss Open but again sustained a toe injury at the Singapore Open and subsequently missed the Thomas Cup. He was in rampaging form at the 2017 Premier Badminton League in January but injuries to his knee and toe once again came back to haunt him. However, his decision to skip a few events in Malaysia and Singapore and regain full fitness under the watchful eye of Indonesian coach Mulyo Handono showed results as he exploded in Indonesia. The 25-year-old from Kerela also clinched his maiden National title, beating Srikanth in the final. He was in good form in the PBL 2018 but then developed foot warts, which saw him completely skip events at Malaysia and Indonesia and only turn up for appearance's sake at India Open. "It's not easy to recover from injuries, train and reach top 20. I am happy the way I come back after each injury and I might not have won a super series tournament but I always believe something big will happen," Prannoy said. Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Prannoy said he is not thinking much about the event and put undue pressure on himself. "Pressure of a big event is different as there are expectations. So it is better I don't think about it and just go and play my natural game," he signed off.

We need to worry about lesser-known opponents at CWG: Prannoy

Malaysia&#39;s badminton association (BAM) has pulled world number one Lee Chong Wei out of this month&#39;s Taiwan Open to let him recover from a leg injury and regain full fitness ahead of this summer&#39;s Rio Olympics. 
 
The 33-year-old suffered the injury on the way to claiming his sixth Indonesian Open title earlier this month and later pulled out of the Australian Open. 
 
&quot;We pulled him out because we&#39;re not completely sure if he&#39;s ready to play after his injury in Australia,&quot; BAM technical director Morten Frost said. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s getting on with the training programme and that&#39;s a good sign for us. We&#39;re also having a nice relaxed atmosphere in our preparations for the Olympics. It certainly helps Chong Wei in his mental preparation.&quot; 
 
Lee, who lost the last two Olympic singles finals to China&#39;s Lin Dan, returned to action in May last year after a backdated eight-month doping ban for testing positive for dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, at the 2014 world championships. 
 
The 2016 Olympics take place from August 5 to 21 in Brazil. 
 
(Reuters)

The world number one decides to recover from a leg injury ahead of the Rio Olympics

Malaysia's badminton association (BAM) has pulled world number one Lee Chong Wei out of this month's Taiwan Open to let him recover from a leg injury and regain full fitness ahead of this summer's Rio Olympics. The 33-year-old suffered the injury on the way to claiming his sixth Indonesian Open title earlier this month and later pulled out of the Australian Open. "We pulled him out because we're not completely sure if he's ready to play after his injury in Australia," BAM technical director Morten Frost said. "He's getting on with the training programme and that's a good sign for us. We're also having a nice relaxed atmosphere in our preparations for the Olympics. It certainly helps Chong Wei in his mental preparation." Lee, who lost the last two Olympic singles finals to China's Lin Dan, returned to action in May last year after a backdated eight-month doping ban for testing positive for dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, at the 2014 world championships. The 2016 Olympics take place from August 5 to 21 in Brazil. (Reuters)

Malaysia's Lee ruled out of Taiwan Open badminton tournament

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