We all know, for the past 16 years of battle in the game of badminton, the greatest rivalry is locked down by the Malaysian shuttler, Dato’ Lee Chong Wei and the Chinese shuttler, Lin Dan. In the most recent Olympic Semi-Finals that took part on the 19th of August, Lee Chong Wei has finally won his very first match against Lin Dan and proceeded into the Finals against Chen Long.

As this might be the ‘Lee-Lin’ battle appearing in the Olympic Games, Lin Dan wrote a text to Lee Chong Wei to express what he feels about his greatest opponent.

吾兄宗伟：

　　昨天看你扔下球拍、在空中跳起怒吼的时候，我真的很为你高兴。

　　我们俩，认识该有十六年了吧。当年我们还意气风发，那时有陶菲克，有皮特盖德，我们俩还不够出色，第一次交手我赢了，可是我们谁也不会想到，这么多年来，竟然和你打了这么多场比赛。

　　我们互有胜负，当然，让我小小骄傲一下，还是我赢得更多一些。但我不想谈成绩怎样怎样，因为你我早已不是可以用成绩来衡量的人。有人叫我“超级丹”，也有人为你感到悲情，因为你，感觉运气总是比我差一点，每次大赛的时候，我都能赢你一头。

“The moment when you threw your racquet on the ground and performed a high jump with cheers and smiles after defeating me, I felt so happy and delighted for you deep down in my heart.

Both of us knew each other for 16 years. Those were the days where pioneers like Taufik Hidayat and Peter Gade was still competing, we was just a nobody. Nobody knew who we are and nobody really cares and pay attention to our game. Speaking about that, I won the first match that we both battle against each other and I never ever thought that the battle will continue 16 years along the road with you.

Both of us went through a lot of defeats and victory together but I have to be a little proud of myself that I am a little bit luckier to own more victory against you in big competitions. Later did I know, you are no longer somebody that I can evaluate by victory and defeat, you are a player who bares bigger responsibilities than I do and both of us deals with our own sweat and passion.

  还是挺感谢你的。我的名字里，除了那些大满贯、冠军外，还有个温情的联系“林李”。我们也能像C罗与梅西，伯德和魔术师，费德勒和纳达尔一样，因为彼此的存在而永恒。

　　因为有你，才有了更好的我。我拿到了几乎都能拿到的冠军，却依然不敢放下心来去偷懒。本来我可以高唱着无敌最是寂寞，可是因为有你，每次都把我逼出冷汗，每次都能在决赛和我隔网相对的你。你在后面拼了命的追我，我也不能就这样让你轻易杀过来啊。你练，我也练。你不服输，我不敢懈怠。

　　就这样，我们都成了老家伙了。后来者越来越多了。我偶尔和你短信聊聊天，说说这些年轻人。他们不行啊，诸强争霸，哪像我们那个时候，只有我们两个。说实话，挺寂寞的，但是每次和你对战，都能将我全身的力量迸发出来。我练了这么久的剑，只有你，配得上我剑刃出鞘。

　　于是，就到了里约，我的第四届奥运会。四分之一决赛的时候，我打印度那小子挺费劲的，但我挺了过来。当我差点没坚持住的时候，我就想起自己和你的约定，和你在半决赛相会的约定。

Also, a big thanks to you that I am not only address as any other champions but I am also warmly addressed as one of the players of the greatest rivalry, the ‘Lee-Lin’ rivalry. We are just like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi where the presence of each other represents the eternity of the rivalry.

It’s you who made and shape me to who I am today. I have took most of the biggest champions that is present in our industry but the reason I never back down and be lazy is because you always push me to the core. Competition would be much easier without you but your presence create challenges for me and always make me burst into sweat when I actually don’t have to.

Almost every meet-up we have is seperated by a net on the court and every single meet-up represents your effort and determination. Every single time I take a step forward, you will never back down and instead, u will choose to ‘tailgate’ me and never let me go. So when you train, I train, when you do not give up, I will also not back down.

Throughout all the processes, we turned old now and more young players are up in the battlefield to compete with us. Sometimes we text each other, talking about the young players about how tight their competition among each other is unlike us back then where there was only the two of us. Honestly, although there is only the two of us and it’s ‘lonely’ but I really enjoy the process because it is only you who can bring the best out of me.

Without realising, here we are, meeting in the Rio Olympics for our 4th Olympics together. In the quarter-finals of the Olympics, I met Srikanth Kidambi of India and it wasn’t an easy game for me but I pushed myself just because I know there is a promise I have to fulfil and the promise is to play against you,my greatest opponent.

　　第三十七次和你隔网相对，离第一次已经过了一个轮回。说真的，当我滑了那一下输给你的时候，我没有遗憾。你是我最伟大的对手，我愿意输给你，不后悔。抱你的时候，我真是觉得，这十几年，和你，仿佛是一场梦。

　　我会拿着你的球衣，和我未来的孩子说。有个叫李宗伟的叔叔，是爸爸最伟大的对手，也是最好的朋友。

　　最好的年华遇见你，是我的运气。决赛加油。——林丹

On the 37th match we played against each other, I lost to you and honestly I have no regrets. You are my greatest rival and I am willing to lose to you. The moment when I hugged you, I really felt everything that happened for the past 16 years is just like a dream.

I will take this jersey and show it to my child in future that there was a man named Lee Chong Wei who was Daddy’s greatest rival and of course Daddy’s best friend.

I have never regret knowing you and playing against you throughout thick and thin. Thank you so much!

Good Luck in the Finals. – Lin Dan.”

吾弟林丹：

　　我就用中文来写这封信了，虽然你知道的我中文说得还行，但是写起来，并没有那么好。但是，这一次，应该写信来说说我们的事情了。

　　2000年，我第一次见你，我们拍了照片。我记得那个时候你就爱耍帅，穿着西服皮鞋的你高我小半头，那是我们都很年少，留着中分头的我有点青涩，而你却满脸不羁。说真的，那时候我没有想到，和你的故事会有这么久，这么精彩。

　　2004年的2月，我们第一次交手，我输了。之后一年里，我和你交手了八次，只赢了两次。我看着意气风发的你，就想，定了，以后就要和你争夺冠军了。不过，那时候，陶菲克还在我们身前，皮特-盖德也成为一道鸿沟，纵使我们使出千百般武艺，他还是能将我们心中渴望已久的冠军轻轻抹去。

THIS IS WHAT LEE CHONG WEI REPLIED :

“I will reply to this letter by using Chinese although most know I can speak fluent but when I actually text it out, I am not even close to the way I speak but as a respect,I will do so, to tell the story of us.

In the year 2000 is when I first met you and we took a picture together. I remember back then you always like to look cool and look good. You like to dress up in a shirt with coat and a shiny pair of shoes. Those were the days where both of us were still very young and I never thought our story will be for so long and interesting.

On February 2004, that was our very first match and I remember that you defeated me. In the 1 year period, I clearly remember that we played 8 matches and I only defeated you twice. The moment when I saw the pride on your face, that was when I decided to set you as my target and I will want to battle you in my years to come.

   你憋着一口气，我也憋着一口气。

   我知道你玩命训练，那我就比你更努力一点。你一天训练十个小时，我就一天练上个十几个小时。每当我懈怠的时候、想停下来的时候，我脑海里全是你的身影。不能战胜你，何谈什么真正的王者？

But then I realised that Taufik and Gade was still competing. No matter how hard we try to play and win against them, we can never ever take a medal or trophy away against at the point of time. There is when both of us be very patient and bare with the anger inside of us.

I knew you were going through hardcore training and I did was too be even more hardcore than you do. You train 10 hours a day, I will train more than 10 hours a day. Every single time when I am about to give up, your shadow will run across my mind and a question will appear. The question is, “If I cannot beat Lin Dan, how can I be crowned as the legend?”

　　终于，有一天，我登上了属于自己的山峰，放眼望去，群峰中只有你的山头。我以为我准备好了，我要用冠军证明自己。而想证明自己的方式，唯有将你挑落马下。

　　可是现实却如此残酷。08年北京奥运会，你打疯了，我懵了；11年世锦赛，你已经尽收荣誉，世界第一的我却只是守着一个第一的虚名。我还是输了，你在终点线前绝杀了我；一年后伦敦，看到你扔掉拍子狂奔的时候，你知道我有多么懊恼吗？我不愿意起身，因为这样的结果太沉重、也太煎熬。四年来我无时无刻不再想着怎么战胜你，可结局依然苦涩——银牌。我有太多的银牌，你有太多的金牌。我想要个金牌。大赛的金牌，哪怕一个都好。

Finally, there was a day where I stepped up to my game with an aim. I thought that I am ready, I want to use champion to prove myself.

Sadly, the world is cruel. In the 2012 Beijing Olympics, You were crazy and was at the top of your form. Although I was ranked #1 in the world ranking, you killed my hope at the very last moment when my dream is about to come true. A year after when I we met in London, I saw you so hyped up after the victory throwing your racquets and the happy face of yours, it saddens me. I didn’t want to stand back up because the results is too hard for me to accept and it is too torment for me. Throughout these 4 years, there’s n0t one time, that I wasn’t thinking about how to defeat you, but the result is still bitter and I only got a silver.

I have too many silver medals, while you have too many gold. I want a gold medal. Even if it’s just one gold medal from major competition, just one.

　　我继续玩命训练。我不知道自己磨破了多少双鞋，打断了多少杆拍子，我在馆里不知道白天和黑夜，我脑子里挥之不去的全是你的名字。我有的时候感叹自己太背，为什么遇到你这样的天才。如果不是你，可能这十年都会是我的天下。可惜你的强大存在已成为事实，我只有打败你，才能取得我想要的东西。

　　不过，那时候，我们会偶尔通过短信联系联系。我知道千金易得，知己难求。我想和你做永远的朋友，只不过，那是场下，内心里，我还是憋着一股劲，想要那个冠军。13年世锦赛，还是该死的结局，只不过这一次，我还没有和你战斗八百回合便已倒下。你跑到我身边问候我的时候，我摸了下你膝盖，心中五味杂陈。没错，是的，林丹，你是伟大的对手，也是最好的朋友。

I continue to train harder and harder until I do not know how many pairs of shoes were torn, how many racquets was broken and I didn’t even know the differences between day and night as I was only hibernating and training in the stadium. Every part of my mind was occupied with all relevant thoughts about you. Sometimes I wonder, why did I have to be facing such a talent in my career? If it wasn’t because of your appearance, the legacy could have been mine. The fact is your presence is something nobody could change and all I can do is to defeat you, to get the ultimate dream of mine.

Although that was in my mind but we sometimes will communicate through text from time to time to keep connected because I don’t only see you as my rival but I also at the same time treat you as my best friend. In the 13th World Championships, before I could put up a good fight, I already lost my game due to injuries. You came right away to my side and ask me if I was fine and I couldn’t do much but to give up the competition.

　　后面，我老了，你也不年轻了。有很多二十岁的少年们来挑战我们的霸权了，我会偶尔输给他们，可是我心中的对手，还是只有你一个。只有战胜你，我觉得我拿到的冠军才是有意义的。媒体们都在渲染我们，“林李大战”前总是会问我下一次会不会再有这样的对决。说实话，我不知道，我只是很期待。老家伙了，打一次少一次了。

After that, I realise that I am old and you are no longer that young too. There are too many contestants aged at the 20s coming by to knock us down. Sometimes I am defeated by them but the only rival in my memory and heart is only you, the Super Dan! Only by winning you, I feel that the trophy and victory brings a great meaning. Most of the media will often question when will be the end of the ‘Lee-Lin’ battle and all I know is each time we play, represents a chance lesser because we are slowly aging and no longer like before.

　　昨天，我终于赢了你。我很激动很激动。不是我怕拿不到金牌，而是我真的太想赢你了。每一个人都想成为勇士，战胜你，是我最自豪的一刻。当我和你换球衣和你拥抱，看着咱们两个老家伙身上的伤疤与绷带的时候，我又想起我认识你的那个时候，如果时间能从来一遍，该有多好啊。但这样的故事，已经足以让我刻骨铭心。

　　如果不是碰上你，拼命该有多么无趣，努力又有多么可惜？

　　老弟，今年的决赛，你终于不用上场了。那么，就把掌声给我，可好？——李宗伟

Yesterday, I finally won you! I was so overwhelmed because I finally did it on a big and meaningful competition. It’s not that I am afraid I couldn’t get a gold medal but it’s because I was so eager to defeat you. Everybody wants to be a warrior of something, only by defeating you, I feel so proud of myself.

When I exchange my jersey with yours and we hugged each other, looking at the straps and bandage we have on our body makes me realise that we aged even more than I expected. On that moment, I feel like rewinding to how it was before. I know it is impossible to do so but this memory will always be carved in my heart.

If it wasn’t you who appeared in my career, no matter how hard I push myself, it brings no meaning to me.

Brother, finally in the Olympics Finals this year, you can rest and not playing against me anymore. So, please lend me your applauses. Would you?” – Lee Chong Wei.