Taipei: The Taipei Open concluded on Sunday at Taipei Arena with an emotional farewell ceremony for Lee Yang, following the finals. The ceremony was filled with both laughter and tears, as the two-time Olympic gold medalist officially turned the page to start a new chapter in his life.
The retirement ceremony began with a video montage of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin’s memorable matches. At the end of the video, Indonesian men’s doubles legend Hendra Setiawan, Malaysian players Teo Ee Yi and Goh Sze Fei, and others appeared to offer their best wishes. This moment brought Lee Yang to tears as he realized, “This is the final moment. It may be hard for me to stand on a badminton court again in the future. I am grateful for all my years of dedication and hard work, which have given me these memorable moments.”
Video of the retirement ceremony of Lee Yang:
(video: LTN)
The retirement event included a friendly singles match between Lee Yang and his three former partners: Wang Chi-Lin, Lee Jhe-Huei, and Chiang Yu-Wei. After the match, Lee Yang emotionally addressed his former “partners” and, when speaking to Wang Chi-Lin, choked up and was briefly unable to speak, prompting the crowd to shout, “Don’t cry!”
Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, who went from classmates to friends and partners, fought together for many years and created countless memories. He told Wang Chi-Lin, “We have faced criticism and ridicule together, and we showed the world that Taiwan has a strong men’s doubles pair. Congratulations, you no longer have to be stressed by my extremely disciplined lifestyle and can enjoy the happiness badminton brings you.”
Reflecting on his career, the 29-year-old Taiwanese badminton star Lee Yang began his young career by almost quitting badminton due to not being good enough to be selected for the senior group to becoming a two-time Olympic doubles gold medalist, “discipline” is perhaps the word that best sums up Lee Yang’s remarkable journey.
Looking back at his badminton path, Lee Yang shared how he was “forced” by his father, to start playing, only to eventually develop an interest and love for the sport’s challenges. Standing 178 cm tall, he remarked, “This is a sport not limited by height,” and described his disciplined lifestyle of going to bed at 11 p.m. and waking up at 7:20 a.m. every day. “I put everything into badminton. Anything that would help me perform better, I would do it.”
Coach Chen Hung-Ling, who guided Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin to their double golds, offered his blessings during the ceremony, saying, “Everyone knows Lee Yang is very disciplined and determined. No matter how hard or tiring the training, he would always give his best effort. Sometimes, even when told to rest, he couldn’t let go.” Chen revealed that six months before the Olympics, Lee Yang had an ankle injury and only rested for a month because he was “ordered” to do so.
When Lee Yang was asked how he would like to be remembered on the badminton court, he said, “I am a player who might not have had much talent but gave everything. Doing what I could do, and doing it well — that’s the spirit. I hope that in the future when people talk about me, it will inspire more people to see Taiwan.”
Following his gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, Lee Yang traveled to Japan with his girlfriend, excitedly sharing that it was his “first time traveling abroad without a badminton racket.” He will now take on a new role as an associate professor at the National Taiwan University of Sport, where he will guide the next generation. When asked if he had other aspirations, he shared his wish list.
Lee Yang revealed his long-time dream of cycling around Taiwan, saying, “It is significant for me to visit every inch of Taiwan. I’ve wanted to do this since I was very young.” Additionally, he expressed his desire to attend an NBA game and enjoy another sport. Currently, he is most interested in the Spurs, saying, “I wanted to see Victor Wembanyama during the Olympics, but unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance.”
As for the Taipei Open results, Lin Chun-Yi defeated Chia Yi-Yu 21-17, 21-13 for the men’s singles title.
Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan also claimed their second title of the season at the Taipei Open, defeating Cheng Jian-Wei and Wu Hsuan-Yi 21-7, 25-23.
South Korean player Sim Yu-Jin won her first career Super Series title in women’s singles, defeating Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-17, 21-13.
Meanwhile, Pakkapon Teeraratsakul/Phataimas Muenwong of Thailand and Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi won the mixed doubles and women’s doubles titles respectively.
