This was the Olympic match of the year for us Malaysians. This was the match that carried with it the weight of our hopes and dreams to win a gold in the 2012 Olympics. (Also, the promise of free ice-cream and a public holiday was too good to resist.)

Pride of Malaysia - badminton player Lee Chong Wei

The men's badminton singles gold medal match of Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) VS Lin Dan (China) is one that had everyone stuck in front of a television with bated breath, looking on while the 2 players exchanged strikes.

In the end though, Lin Dan won by a small margin of 21-19 in the final round. Understandably, the nation was devastated. More importantly, our Malaysian champion himself felt that he'd let us all down, as seen from his single tweet of 2 words after the match:


NO. You, sir, do not have to apologize to any of us. NEVER. You managed to unite us as a nation better than any campaign or policy, and for that, we have to thank you instead.

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The most heartbreaking and heart-wrenching moment.

We have no right to grudge Lin Dan his right to glory in his gold win, but look at the devastation clear in Dato Lee Chong Wei's posture and expression. It's heartbreaking.

You don't have to apologize, sir. You are, and always will be, our generation's #1 Malaysian Olympian. :) THANK YOU for your battles on the badminton court on our behalf.

For what it's worth, this line by one of the ESPN commentators is worth more than any gold medal they can give him, and pretty much sums up the whole match:

"LCW is such a great guy, but Lin Dan is a bit arrogant. Skills win you medals, but attitude wins hearts." 

Thank you for bringing back a silver for us, Dato' Lee Chong Wei, and rest assured that we know you carry with you a heart of gold. ♥