Origins & Early Life

Lee Chong Wei (Chinese: 李宗伟; pinyin: Lǐ Zōngwěi; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Chong-úi; born 21 October 1982) is a Malaysian former professional badminton player. As a singles player, Lee was ranked first worldwide for a record of 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012. He is the fifth Malaysian player after Foo Kok Keong, Rashid Sidek, Roslin Hashim and Wong Choong Hann to achieve such a ranking (since official rankings were first kept in the 1980s), and is the only Malaysian shuttler who has held the number one ranking for more than a year. On 2 May 2023, Lee was inducted to BWF Badminton Hall of Fame.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He is widely regarded as one of the greatest badminton players of all time. Lee is a triple silver medalist at the Olympic Games, and the sixth Malaysian to win an Olympic medal. He won his first silver medal in 2008, also the first time a Malaysian had reached the finals in the men's singles event. This achievement earned him the title Datuk, and led to then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak describing him as a national hero. He repeated the achievement twice more in 2012 and 2016, thus making him the most successful Malaysian Olympian in history.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

On 13 June...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament — Contemporary (Born in 1982) (1982): The 44th annual NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
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• Albert Soboul — Contemporary (Died in 1982) (1982): Influential French historian specializing in the French Revolution and Napoleonic eras.
• 5th Dalai Lama — Shared historical date (10-21 · Born) (1617): Spiritual and political unifier of Tibet, establishing the Ganden Phodrang.
• Alfred Nobel — Shared historical date (10-21 · Born) (1833): Pioneering chemist, inventor of dynamite, and founder of the Nobel Prizes.
• Alexandre Alexeieff — Historical peer (Died in 1982) (1982): Russian-born artist, filmmaker, and illustrator known for inventing the pinscreen technique.
• Anna Freud — Historical peer (Died in 1982) (1982): Pioneering psychoanalyst known for child psychology and ego theory.
• Albert Hofmann — Historical peer (Died in 2008) (2008): Swiss chemist renowned for synthesizing LSD and pioneering psychedelic research.
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn — Historical peer (Died in 2008) (2008): Dissident author who exposed Soviet repression, notably the Gulag system.
• Adam Yauch — Historical peer (Died in 2012) (2012): Founding member of Beastie Boys; influential rapper, filmmaker, and Tibetan activist.
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