Lee鈥檚 Olympic hopes soar again
Print Edition
Lee Chong Wei鈥檚 dream of winning Olympic gold is back on after the Badminton World Federation gave him the benefit of the doubt following a positive doping test.
Lee could have been banned for up to two years after testing positive for the banned anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone during last August鈥檚 world championships in Denmark.
But the BWF opted instead to give him a backdated eight-month ban, allowing him to resume playing this week, because dexamethasone does not enhance performance and he took the substance unknowingly.
鈥淭he panel is convinced this is not a case of doping with intent to cheat,鈥 the world governing body said in a statement.
The result means Lee, who has dominated the world rankings for years, will get another shot at winning one of the big prizes to elude him 鈥 Olympic gold.
Lee spent almost 300 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world but has never won the world or Olympic singles title. Rio could well be the 32-year-old鈥檚 last real chance.
Born in the small town of Bagan Serai in northern Peninsula Malaysia, Lee鈥檚 first love was basketball but his family pushed him to take up badminton and his supreme footwork and defensive skills had earned a call up to the national squad at 17. He won his first major title in 2003 on home soil and as he added more deceptive shots to his repertoire, the tournament wins continued to flow and he seized the No. 1 ranking for the first time in 2006.
Often reluctant to take risks, Lee鈥檚 retrieving ability, incredible reflexes and agility made him almost impossible to beat for most players but he lacked a killer punch against the very best, particularly arch-rival and nemesis Lin Dan.
While the pair would claim a similar number of victories at national opens around the globe over the next eight years, China鈥檚 Lin, who is a year younger, could always find that little extra when they met on the grandest of stages.
They first crossed swords in an Olympic final in Beijing six years ago with Lin storming away in the second game to claim a victory he would repeat in London in 2012, although Lee let slip an 18-16 lead in the decider of a classic encounter. Lee was also foiled by the same opponent over three tight games in the 2011 and 2013 world championship finals and when the Malaysian reached a third title showdown last year in Lin鈥檚 absence, Chinese second seed Chen Long emerged victorious.
Nearing the end of their glittering careers, both Lee and Lin put off retirement to target one last Olympics with the Malaysian hoping to end on the high of a first gold with Lin targeting an unprecedented third straight title.
Now, the prospect of witnessing the rivals battling it out like a pair of aging prize-fighters for one final grudge match is a possibility after Lee was cleared.
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