Malaysia’s badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei (pic) recounted his journey to retirement on June 13 last year, describing it as a heavy but right decision.

“It was heavy, very heavy, ” he said in a posting on his official Facebook and Instagram in conjunction with a year of his retirement.

The three-time Olympic silver medallist admitted to struggling over whether to retire until the moment he decided to call it quits, with a bit of help from his wife Wong Mew Choo.

“After a long warm bath, I looked at the guy in the mirror, ‘Want to try one more time?’

“Then my sight gazed to my neck and body. My body was so frail and thin.

“My muscles were jelly soft. The scar on my neck was so deep and dark after all the treatment (for cancer).

“It has been a year. A year since I announced an end to my 25-year career in the sport. It would never be the same for me again, but I think I still made the right decision, ” he added.