Wait for me, says recovering Malaysian badminton ace Lee Chong Wei as Lin Dan and Viktor Axelsen wish him well after cancer diagnosis
The three-time Olympic silver medallist remains positive that he will beat his illness as fellow players and fans around the world rally behind him
An outpouring of heartfelt wishes have been sent to Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei, who has been diagnosed with first-stage nasal cancer and is undergoing treatment in Taiwan.
Leading the support was none other than Chinese arch-rival Lin Dan, who hopes the 35-year-old gets “well soon”.
Lin, who forged a great rivalry with Lee but remain good friends, had told reporters at last month’s world championships that he knew the Malaysian was suffering from a respiratory illness, which was diagnosed before doctors discovered he had cancer.
“As his opponent and friend, I hope that he will recover soon,” said Lin, who beat Lee to two Olympic gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012. News of his cancer diagnosis was only made public last weekend.
Other star players were concerned with Lee’s illness with former world champion Viktor Axelsen, of Denmark, wishing Lee “a speedy recovery” on his Instagram account.
“Yesterday I heard a message that made everyone very sad. Many times, for athletes, some people are more than opponents on the other side of the net, they are veterans who we can learn from. Li Chong Wei is a great athlete and I hope you recover soon,” said Axelsen, the 2017 men’s singles world champion.
