Lee Chong Wei, we're proud of you!!

It was such a close match between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan in the Olympics badminton final last night, but luck was not on Lee's side. After three gruelling sets, two points separated Lee (and Malaysia) from the elusive Olympic gold medal.

Malaysia's gold medal hope was very high after a 21-15 win by Lee in the first set. No doubt in everyone's mind that this could be it, this could be the day that Lee will have his revenge from its defeat in the Beijing Olympics. Hope was still relatively high despite a 10-21 loss in the second set. The opponent was Lin Dan, after all. After the first-set loss, Lin Dan will no doubt pull out all the stops to take the second set, and he did.

Finally, the third-set battle royale. Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan used every trick in the book to fight for every point. Fans from both sides cheering on. Everyone was at the edge of their seats. We were looking at history in the making. It's either a third gold medal for Lin Dan, or more significantly, the first gold for Lee Chong Wei and Malaysia.

Two points. That was the distance between Lee and the Olympic gold, between Lee and his revenge over the mortifying defeat four years ago. While Lin Dan's fans cheered, everyone else focused on Lee, sitting on the ground, head held low, tears flowing. While China roared in victory, fans and supporters of Lee around the world were silent, feeling his pain and disappointment, wanted nothing more but to give him a pat on the back or a heartfelt hug.

As the medalists walking towards the podium, our eyes were on Chong Wei. While seemed calmer, sadness still looms on his face. It was after the national anthem was played that he could no longer keep his tears in check. He couldn't even squeeze a smile for the photographers.

Lee Chong Wei had his fair share of defeats playing against Lin Dan and he took them in stride. This particular defeat was more personal.

It would be a lie to say that we're not disappointed that we didn't win the gold, but it would also be a lie to say that the gold medal outweighs our love and appreciation of Lee's fighting spirit and patriotism. He performed valiantly and every Malaysians and his fans around the world love him just as much.

Lee Chong Wei, while you won only a silver medal in the Olympics, you've won the gold medals from the hearts and spirits of all your fans across the globe. We're extremely proud of you!