Taiwanese badminton men’s doubles star Lee Yang held his retirement ceremony yesterday, during which a highlight reel of his career was shown, and several badminton stars offered their blessings. These included Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man, and Indonesia’s doubles specialists Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. Lee Yang remarked that, at the beginning of the ceremony, the atmosphere felt like a class reunion, but after hearing everyone’s blessings, he truly realized that he had reached the end of his career.
Lee’s former partners, from Chiang Yu-Wei and Lee Jhe-Huei to Wang Chi-Lin, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal, all attended the event to offer their best wishes. Lee Yang made a special comment to Lee Jhe-Huei, saying, “In the past, you were always the first to leave practice early, but this time, it’s my turn to leave the court first.” After saying this, he couldn’t hold back his tears. Chiang Yu-Wei also shared a story, calling Lee Yang a “serious perfectionist.” He mentioned that when they played singles games, the loser had to buy drinks or do push-ups, “But Lee Yang would always seriously record who should be punished on his phone. I’d think, is that really necessary?”
Lee Yang said, “I’m very grateful to myself for sticking with it for so long. I would sleep at 11 p.m. every day and wake up at 7:20 a.m. If there was anything that could help my badminton, I would want to do it.”
After the retirement ceremony, Lee Yang posted an emotional message on social media, saying that in a few years, he wasn’t sure if people would still remember him. Reflecting on his past efforts, he recalled how a “little chubby boy” fought hard on the badminton court, pushing himself to be disciplined just to show his best form. Now, that little chubby boy must say a proper goodbye to the court he loved and to the people who supported him. He ended his message with, “The curtain falls on Lee Yang’s badminton career.”
Regarding his post-retirement plans, Lee Yang revealed that he will begin teaching at a sports university today. In the future, he hopes to find time to organize a cycling trip around Taiwan and to travel to the U.S. to watch NBA basketball games.
