Interview with Rexy & Chong Wei - Video Courtesy SS Dhaliwal
So Near Yet So Far For Chong Wei
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- National shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei came within a whisker of lifting the world title for the first time but his arch nemesis Lin Dan stood in the way.
Chong Wei, the world number one men's singles player and the top seed, lost to Super Dan in 22-20, 14-21 and 21-23 in an epic final that lasted an hour and 22 minutes at the Wembley Indoor Arena in London Sunday night.
The match was beamed 'live" by Radio Television Malaysia (RTM).
Lee Chong Wei talks about his defeat at the hands of Lin Dan at Wembley - Video Courtesy SS Dhaliwal
Chong Wei got off to a fine start in the first set and though Lin Dan gave a stiff fight and forced a deuce after clawing up from 16 points despite Chong Wei being at game point, the Penangite prevailed.
However, Lin Dan took the upperhand in the second set and finished off Chong Wei in 21-14.
The rubber set was a thriller all the way with both players fighting neck-to-neck, toe-to-toe.
But it was Chong Wei who reached match point first but the wily Chinese again clawed his way from a point adrift to force deuce.
Chong Wei then secured the advantage and could have landed his first world title but things became awry for him after that and it was Lin Dan who ended up the winner wrapping up the set in 23-21 for his fourth world title.
The title meant a lot to Chong Wei as the World Championship trophy and the Olympics gold medal are the only silverware he has yet to win on the world stage.
He will be ruing the defeat for sometime as it was a case of "so near yet so far" and more so with the prime minister himself and millions of Malaysians counting on him to do Malaysia proud.
National singles coach Tey Seu Bock
Seen among the hundreds of Malaysian fans cheering Chong Wei on at the stadium was Muhammad Ashraf Haziq Rossli, the Malaysian student in England who made the headlines after he was assaulted and robbed by thugs in the riots that broke out in the country the past week.
Chong Wei, the world number one men's singles player and the top seed, lost to Super Dan in 22-20, 14-21 and 21-23 in an epic final that lasted an hour and 22 minutes at the Wembley Indoor Arena in London Sunday night.
The match was beamed 'live" by Radio Television Malaysia (RTM).
Lee Chong Wei talks about his defeat at the hands of Lin Dan at Wembley - Video Courtesy SS Dhaliwal
Chong Wei got off to a fine start in the first set and though Lin Dan gave a stiff fight and forced a deuce after clawing up from 16 points despite Chong Wei being at game point, the Penangite prevailed.
However, Lin Dan took the upperhand in the second set and finished off Chong Wei in 21-14.
The rubber set was a thriller all the way with both players fighting neck-to-neck, toe-to-toe.
But it was Chong Wei who reached match point first but the wily Chinese again clawed his way from a point adrift to force deuce.
Chong Wei then secured the advantage and could have landed his first world title but things became awry for him after that and it was Lin Dan who ended up the winner wrapping up the set in 23-21 for his fourth world title.
The title meant a lot to Chong Wei as the World Championship trophy and the Olympics gold medal are the only silverware he has yet to win on the world stage.
He will be ruing the defeat for sometime as it was a case of "so near yet so far" and more so with the prime minister himself and millions of Malaysians counting on him to do Malaysia proud.
National singles coach Tey Seu Bock
Seen among the hundreds of Malaysian fans cheering Chong Wei on at the stadium was Muhammad Ashraf Haziq Rossli, the Malaysian student in England who made the headlines after he was assaulted and robbed by thugs in the riots that broke out in the country the past week.
