Juara dengan Hati Emas

Pemain nomor satu dunia, Lee Chong Wei memulai langkah amalnya dengan menyelenggarakan kegiatan penggalangan dana yang bertajuk "Hope and Smile - 311 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami" pada tanggal 2-3 April 2011. Kedua pembawa dana mendapat dukungan dari Asosiasi Bulutangkis Malaysia (BAM) serta Kedutaan Besar Jepang di Malaysia, yang diwakili oleh Wakil Kepala Misi Koichi Ito pada konferensi pers hari Kamis kemarin.

Pemain berkebangsaan Malaysia tersebut mengatakan ia sangat sedih melihat Jepang yang dilanda oleh dua bencana sekaligus - gempa dan tsunami - dan ingin membantu dengan menyumbangkan 1 juta ringgit bagi Jepang. Chong Wei, yang baru-baru ini berhasil mempertahankan gelarnya di All England akan bermain sebanyak dua pertandingan melawan penonton VVIP dan juga akan melelang kemeja dan raket yang ia gunakan ketika mengalahkan juara Olimpiade, Lin Dan di Birmingham.

Chong Wei, yang berasal dari Penang, akan mengadakan acara pertama di negara bagian asalnya dan dia akan memainkan pertandingan melawan Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng, pada tanggal 2 April mendatang. Acara kedua akan digelar di ibukota Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur pada hari berikutnya dan Chong Wei sedang mencoba untuk mengundang pemain Indonesia, Taufik Hidayat menjadi lawannya. Chong Wei menambahkan bahwa beberapa artis Malaysia juga dapat bergabung dengan acara tersebut yang semua hasilnya akan disumbangkan bagi korban gempa dan tsunami Jepang.

IT WAS NOT MY GAME: CHONG WEI

KUALA LUMPUR (14 MAY 2010) – World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei who had gone 18 matches without a loss this year came unstuck against three-time world champions Lin Dan of China in the first singles in the Thomas Cup semi-final before a packed Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight.
"It was not my game. The whole match was disappointing," said Chong Wei afterwards.
China handed Malaysia a 3-0 beating to book their place in the final against Indonesia, who had earlier beaten Japan also by a similar scoreline.
Chong Wei, winner of the Korean Open, the Malaysian Open and the All-England was beaten by a pumped up Lin Dan who had a lean spell this year until he won the Asian Championships in New Delhi prior to his arrival into Kuala Lumpur.
The Chinese ace then celebrated his victory over Chong Wei by taking off his shirt and throwing it on the court before rasing his hands and racquet to acknowledge his triumph in the much awaited match between the two.
When asked at a press conference afterwards the reason why he took off his shirt after securing the winning point Lin Dan said: "in 2004 when I beat Peter Gade (Christensen) to win the first point for China in the final against Denmark in Jakarta, I celebrated that win in a similar fashion. It was no different today.
“I played very well today and taking the first point for my team was a morale booster. It is always important to win the first point.
Lin Dan, however, said Malaysia paid the price of putting too much pressure on themselves in wanting to end an eighteen year wait to win back the Thomas Cup.
“They (Malaysia) put themselves under tremendous pressure thinking of the 18-year wait. Chong Wei was under pressure to get the first point and crumbled easily.
Chong Wei himself admitted that he 'thought too much in wanting to win the Thomas Cup' and lost focus in the game.
“The court looked small to me and I did not know where to hit the shuttle. Nothing went right. I fumbled with the half court returns,” said Chong Wei, who was expected to take the first point for Malaysia.
China then rode on Lin Dan’s smashing win to take the first doubles through their veteran pair Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng who displayed all round superiority to whip World No 1 and Malaysia’s top pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong 21-15, 21-10 in 36 minutes.
And Wong Choong Hann was totally out-played by 2008 All England champion Chen Jin 21-16, 21-7 in 41 minutes to land China’s third and winning point.
China’s chief coach Li Yongbo said: "anything was possible It could have been 3-0 or 3-2. It did matter as we were ready for the challenge. My players were fully focused on winning the match."
"The Malaysians gave their best but crumbled under tremendous pressure. The Malaysian supporters also put us under lot of pressure but we were experienced enough to handle such situations.
“If you cannot handle such pressure in a big tournament, even home advantage can back fire on you. That is what happened to Malaysia,” said Yongbo.

THOMAS CUP UPDATE: LIN DAN BEATS CHONG WEI FOR CHINA’S FIRST POINT

KUALA LUMPUR (14 May 2010) - Lin Dan gave China their first point when he defeated Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals of the PROTON-BWF Thomas Cup at the Putra Stadium here tonight.

The Chinese Olympic champion capitalised on world No. 1 Chong Wei's mistakes and grabbed the first set 21-17.

Chong Wei tried to work his way back in the second set but Lin Dan was on a roll and never allowed his opponent any room. He won the set 21-8 in 48 minutes to give China the lead.

BWF PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2009 - Chong Wei, Yihan win honours

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Wang Yihan were crowned Badminton World Federation (BWF) Male and Female Player of the Year 2009 respectively at a local hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday.


The duo, both ranked World No 1 in the men’s singles and women’s singles ranking have had an outstanding year in 2009 winning a string of titles but more importantly showed remarkable consistency to win the awards. awards-rotator


Both players were awarded the trophy at a welcome dinner held in conjunction with the Proton-BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2010 in Kuala Lumpur. The Finals begin on Sunday, 9 May.


“The BWF decided on Chong Wei and Yihan for their consistency and achievements in 2009. Chong Wei maintained his No 1 position in the world rankings throughout the year while Yihan climbed her way to the top from a No 18 spot in the beginning of the year,” said Thomas Lund, BWF Chief Operating Officer.


“Deservingly, they have been rewarded for their achievements.”


National Sports Council of Malaysia director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong presented Chong Wei with the award while Lund presented the award to Yihan.


Chong Wei, 28, became the World No 1 on Aug 21, 2008, a position which he has jealously guarded for the past 90 weeks.


He started the year 2009 by winning his fifth Malaysian Open title and followed that up with wins at the Swiss Open, Indonesia Open and Hong Kong Open Super Series.


He was also a runner-up in South Korea and the All England Championships and ended the year by winning the Yonex-Sunrise BWF World Super Series Finals, a tournament featuring the top 8 ranked players in the Super Series ranking, in Johor Baru, Malaysia last December.


Yihan, a former world junior champion in 2006, started 2009 with a world ranking of 18.


An amazing run in March saw her winning the back to back All England and Swiss Open titles which propelled her to a top-10 ranking in April.


Born in Shanghai on 18 January 1988, she firmly established her place at the summit of the women’s singles ranking after another great run that saw her winning the Japan Open, French Open and a runner-up finish at the Denmark Open. She also took the honours in Hong Kong.


Thailand’s Ratchanok Inthanon was also named BWF Most Promising Player in 2009 for the Eddie Choong trophy.


Ratchanok, from Thailand, won the 2009 World Junior title at the age of 14 and also bagged a silver medal in the South East Asian Games held in her home country.


Source : http://internationalbadminton.org/news_item.aspx?id=34870

CHONG WEI AND WANG YIHAN NAMED BWF PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR (May 8, 2010) – World No 1 Datuk Lee Chong Wei and China’s Wang Yihan were announced as the winners of the BWF Player of the Year Awards at the Palace of Golden Horses here tonight.


Chong Wei, who has been world No. 1 since Aug 21, 2008, won the award based on his performance throughout the year 2009.


He started the 2009 by winning his fifth Malaysian Open title and followed that up with wins at the Swiss Open, Indonesia Open and Hong Kong Open Super Series.


He was also a runner-up in South Korea and the All England Championships.


For his outstanding efforts, Chong Wei was declared the BWF Male Player of the Year 2009.


In women’s badminton, Wang Yihan had a remarkable season last year. She started 2009 with a world ranking of 18.


An amazing run in March saw her winning the back-to-back All England and Swiss Open titles which propelled her to a top-10 ranking in April.


One of the many ‘Wangs’ in her team, she firmly established her place at the summit of the women’s singles ranking after another great run that saw her winning the Japan Open, French Open and a runner-up finish at the Denmark Open. She also took the honours in Hong Kong.


The world is very much at this young lady’s feet, and at only 22-years-old, she has already bagged the Asian Junior title, World Junior title and the World No 1 position, more is surely to come from this wonderfully gifted player.


Her dramatic rise to power led her to being announced the BWF Female Player of the Year.


Source : Thomas & Uber Cup 2010 Official Website