Another Olympic Heartbreak for Datuk Lee and Fellow Malaysians

We are still proud of you, Datuk Lee

Once again Lin Dan showed why he is Datuk Lee's greatest badminton nemesis when he beat Datuk Lee en-route to becoming the first man on Earth to retain the Olympic badminton singles title. It is the second time in a row that Lin has stepped in between Malaysia and our very first Olympic gold medal. It was a heartbreaking moment for all the Malaysians who have given up all the work and things they would do on a normal Sunday evening, just to sit down in front of the television in hope to see Datuk Lee writing another new chapter of achievement in his career and most of all, I believe all of us want to witness the moment when a Malaysian is crowned an Olympic gold medalist.

However, quite harshly, we were told to wait.

Hopes were sky high for our badminton ace to deliver the nation's first Olympic gold medal and he did not let us down. Datuk Lee won the first set after being neck-to-neck with Lin Dan for the first half of the first set before pulling away and sealing it at 21-15. Most of us were not able to contain our emotions, we were cheering hard and loud as if we had indeed won the Gold Medal. Even Datuk Lee showed more emotions in his game today - screaming with happiness and punching the air in delight upon winning the first set. We thought the second set would be another close fight.

This time, Lin Dan proved us wrong.

He was more precise this time around and sharper, forcing Datuk Lee to continuously making series of unforced errors. And as Lin Dan surged to a big lead at 8-17, he was already brimming with confidence. The stadium was stony dull at the Malaysian end, only cheers from the Chinese could be heard, ominously loud. Datuk Lee appeared to have given up on the set as well as he gave up the next few points to end the game at  10-21. Lin Dan had done what he had set out to do - force a rubber set. 

The rubber set was another nail-biting affair as both of them breathed down each other's neck and they were soon tied at 19-19. I had my fingers' crossed. It's not about the public holiday, and it's definitely not about free Baskin Robbins; I don't wanna care about those. I just wanna witness an event that would go into our history, that I would be able to tell my kids in the future that I was there when we won our first Olympic gold. This gold medal would be a catalyst for other Malaysian athletes to do well in the international setting in the future as well. However, Lin Dan was the one who won the next point and he was leading 19-20. At that moment, I was feeling so nervous that my legs were shaking. I knew that Datuk Lee must be feeling a hundred times worse than me. One single silly mistake, would cost him the gold medal. 

The final serve started and it was quite a rally. Datuk Lee opted to play safe by playing at the net. Both of them were excellent at net, and all they did were to rally the shuttlecock at each other at short range hoping for the opposition to make the mistake. The stadium was quiet, everyone was holding their breath. However, it was a return from Lin Dan that proved to be the winner as Datuk Lee could do nothing but to hit the shuttlecock high up into the air to the back of the court. It was as if in slow motion that we watched the shuttlecock dropped. Halfway down, I was already convinced that it would be out, but I was in denial state. The shuttlecock had not even made contact with the ground when I saw Lin Dan screaming in delight and the Chinese supporters at the background cheering in approval.

It took some time for me to register in my mind that we had indeed lost the match. As I stood rooted to the spot, I had my eyes glued on the TV screen but I could not remember much what happened next. I was blank. I could only remember seeing Lin Dan running around the stadium in jubilation and was soon joined by his coach. 

It was the same feeling when Man United lost the League title last season at the stoppage time. 

It's so close but yet so far.

Datuk Lee was unable to hide his grieve. So am I.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei, you are still our national hero. I am very proud of your achievement. Thank you so much for bringing the nation together. It feels good to see all the Malaysians; regardless of race, religion and creed cheering for our country. I am proud to be a Malaysian and I am proud to witness that we Malaysians, do not go down without a fight.

The Olympic gold medal remains a difficult target for us, Malaysians. We are now left to wonder who will be taking the glory and when? It is at this time when a thought suddenly occur to me - if only Squash is an Olympic event...

Skills win you medals, attitude wins hearts - ESPN commentator on Datuk Lee