Kuala Lumpur: World No. 1 men’s singles player Lee Chong Wei was named the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM-100 PLUS 2016) Sportsman of the Year for the second time on Thursday.
Lee topped fellow star athletes Pandelela Rinong-Cheong Jun Hoong (diving), Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong (badminton) and Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying (badminton) for the award.
Lee also earned Sportswriters Association of Malaysia Sportsman of the Year honors in 2008.
Among his many achievements last year were regaining the World No. 1 ranking after claiming his sixth Indonesian Open title last year. He also clinched his third Olympic silver medals in August of 2016.
Paralympic gold medalist Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi notched up the ‘Best Paralympic Athlete’ trophy, riding on his brilliant achievement in the 100m T36 event at the Rio Paralympic Games last year.
Lee and Mohamad Puzi each earned a trophy and brought home RM10,000 cash presented by Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Here is the winners list:
Best Athlete — Datuk Lee Chong Wei (Badminton)
Best Paralympic Athlete — Mohamad Ridzuan Mohd Puzi (Athletics)
Best Young Athlete — Nur Dhabitah Sabri (Diving)
Dynamic Sports Association — National Silat Federation
Best KPM 2016 League Player — Megat Syafique Syazwan Mohd Khairul
