Lee, who spent a total of 348 weeks as world number one but lost six world and Olympic finals, wept as he called it quits months after suffering a cancer scare.

“My decision to retire is a heavy one. I really love this sport. But it is a demanding sport. I thank all Malaysians for the past 19 years,” a tearful Lee, 36, told a news conference.

Lee, a father of two, was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer last year and after intensive treatment in Taiwan, said he was keen to play again.

But he hasn’t trained since April and after missing a series of self-imposed deadlines to return to competition, his hopes of being eligible for next year’s Tokyo Olympics were remote.

The three-time Olympic silver medallist said he now wanted to rest and spend time with his family, and even take his wife on a “honeymoon”, a trip that has been delayed since their marriage in 2012.

Lee’s unsuccessful attempts to capture Malaysia’s first ever Olympic gold medal, reaching three consecutive finals, were followed avidly by his fans, as was his long-running rivalry with Chinese superstar Lin Dan.

His last shot at the Olympic title at Rio 2016 ended in crushing disappointment when the Malaysian lost out to China’s Chen Long in a nail-biting final.

– ‘Sad day’ –

Cancer proved the career-ending blow but it wasn’t the only low for Lee, who was banned after testing positive for a banned anti-inflammatory at the 2014 world championships.

The long-time former world number one returned to the sport in 2015, after authorities accepted he took the drug inadvertently.

“I have no regrets. More important is my health, the decision to retire is very tough,” said Lee, adding that his cancer treatment was now over.

“My plan to retire was originally after the Olympic Games. I made this decision due to my health.

“You know I got married in 2012. But we (have) never gone for a honeymoon. I owe this promise (to my wife), now I have to please her.”

As he began announcing his retirement, Lee paused for almost a minute as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Norza Zakaria, who was at the news conference, described Lee as a “legend”.

“It is a sad day. Lee is a legend and very dependable. We accept his decision,” Norza said.

Lee has slipped to 191 in the Badminton World rankings.

“I fought for my country all the way,” he said, at one point, his voice choking.

“It’s my retirement day.”

Lyon star Le Sommer fired home from the spot with 18 minutes left after referee Bibiana Steinhaus decided after a VAR review that Norway defender Ingrid Syrstad Engen had kicked Marion Torrent on the knee after making a hash of a clearance.

The 30-year-old’s second goal of the tournament put France on a perfect six points after two games and saved the blushes of her club teammate Wendie Renard, who had cancelled out Valerie Gauvin’s 46th-minute opener for ‘Les Bleues’ with a barely-believable own goal.

Renard, whose height and power had led to Norway using a similarly tall press officer to simulate her presence in the area for set-pieces in training, was visibly distraught after tapping Isabell Herlovsen’s cross into her own net under no pressure.

“I made a big mistake, scoring a goal against my own team, unfortunately for me and unfortunately for my team,” said Renard to French broadcaster Canal+.

“We didn’t let our heads drop … and we were rewarded with the penalty.”

Le Sommer stepped up to save the points and put them to within a point of topping the group ahead of Monday’s final match against Nigeria, who saw off South Korea 2-0 in Wednesday’s early match thanks to a a comical own goal from Kim Do-yeon and a superb burst and finish from Asisat Oshoala.

France are three points ahead of both Nigeria and Norway, who now need to hold off South Korea to be sure of arriving AT the knockout stage.

Thomas Dennerby’s Nigeria meanwhile are eyeing a first qualification to the knockout stage for 20 years after just their second World Cup win in that time.

The three points they have could well be enough to see the Super Falcons through as one of the four bes third place finishers, but Dennerby is targeting a result against France in Rennes on Monday to remove all doubt.

“France are a very good team, if we come out of that with one point we’ll all be very happy,” Dennerby added.

– Germany down Spain –

Earlier Germany brushed off the absence of injured star player Dzsenifer Marozsan as Sara Daebritz downed Spain to move her side top of their group.

Marozsan will miss at least the German’s final group stage match against bottom side South Africa after breaking her toe in her side’s opening 1-0 win over China, but Wednesday’s hard-fought win means her lay-off should be less of a problem in the sort-term.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Daebritz made Germany strong favourites to top the group by pouncing three minutes before the break ahead of dithering Spain defender Marta Torrejon, who only had to clear the ball after her goalkeeper Sandra Panos did well to save Alexandra Popp’s header.

They are three points clear of Spain and are one better on goal difference, meaning they need a point against bottom side South Africa on Monday to be completely sure of coming out on top.

That would leave whoever finished second below them to face the Americans, who were in ominous form on Tuesday as they racked up a record 13-0 win over Thailand, while the Germans would take on one of the four best third-placed finishers who will make the last 16.

“Our goal was always to win the group, and now we are on the way to doing so. We want to win our third game too,” Daebritz told German broadcaster ZDF.

Asked by reporters if watching the USA dismantle Thailand was “extra motivation” for her side to win the group, a smiling Voss-Tecklenburg said “both teams knew they didn’t want play the winners of Group F”.

Second-placed Spain, who were wasteful despite dominating possession and will rue Nahikari Garcia somehow slicing wide when clean through in the 14th minute, should still qualify but face a trickier test against China on Monday.

They risk being caught by the Chinese or South Africa, who aim to boost their own qualification hopes on Thursday in Paris after losing their opening games.

In attendance were ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand and challenger Alma Juniku of Australia. Stamp and Juniku will square off in the main event of ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST, which goes down Saturday, 15 June at the Baoshan Arena.

Stamp began her ONE Championship run as a participant in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series. She competed in mixed martial arts and won her first professional bout by knockout in just 19 seconds. Leaving a lasting impression with her exceptional striking skills, Stamp was tapped to take part in the prestigious ONE Super Series soon thereafter.

She made her debut at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in Bangkok where she defeated “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang to capture the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship. Last February, Stamp battled American Janet “JT” Todd to become a two-sport World Champion, capturing the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship.

Stamp now returns to action in the first defense of her Muay Thai title against Alma Juniku of Australia.

Stamp Fairtex, ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion, stated: “This is my very first time in China, and I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome. I am really grateful for the opportunities ONE Championship has given me. My opponent this Saturday night is fast and aggressive. She likes to put a lot of pressure on her opponents, and moves with speed. I will try to put the pressure on her as well. I want to give the fans an exciting show. Muay Thai is my way of life and I’ve been training since I was a child. I just want to give my family a better life. I also want to make women all over the world proud.”

Alma Juniku, ONE World Title Challenger, stated: “I am excited for this Saturday night’s main event. I’m physically and mentally ready for anything. On the biggest stage of ONE Championship, I want to introduce myself and what I’m all about. I am prepared to go toe-to-toe with Stamp [Fairtex]. She’s a great champion — aggressive and with very good technique. But I’m strong and I’m fast and I like to trade shots. I’m not afraid to mix it up. Of course, I’m going for the knockout. But I can’t predict how this fight will end. Instead, I will do my best from start to finish.”

Also in attendance were ONE Championship athletes, including co-main event competitors Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Malaysia and Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama of Japan.

It took just 78 minutes for Brazil to post their 19th major competition win over and notch their eight win out of 11 matches in the League series.

It was, however, something of a fall to earth for the Thais, who upset world champion Serbia on Tuesday, but have now lost seven out of their 11 matches.

Thailand captain Nootsara Tomkom: “It was a very difficult game, as Brazil has very powerful spikes and high blocks.”

Thailand coach Danai Sriwacharamaytakul: “Brazil was a very powerful team to play against. Especially their serves and blocks were very good. We were not able to play our style of volleyball. Their counter-attacks were very difficult to receive.”

Brazil coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes: “Thailand has various types of combination plays and they are a very highly skilled offensive power. However, we were able to play stably and we were able to respond. I was very pleased to win and this is a very important win for us for the Final 6 round.”

They will take on long-standing rivals Japan in their final round-robin game on Thursday, while Brazil will face Serbia.

TEARS…Morgan consoles distraught Thai striker Suchawadee Nildhamrong

Ten of the goals came in the second half as the defending champions set a new mark for the biggest winning margin in the women’s World Cup, bettering Germany’s 11-0 defeat of Argentina in 2007.

The Kingdom’s players trooped out past the cheering crowds at Stade Agust-Delaune in shame, some of the m bursting into tears after the most agonising loss of their careers.

“The atmosphere of the team is not so good,” Nuengrutai admitted later. “They were crying and were feeling low.”

164-cap veteran striker Alex Morgan scored five times, Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis netted twice each while Lindsey Horan, skipper Megan Rapinoe and substitutes Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also found the net in the lopsided victory.

“I accept that we were not good enough and that the opponents were far more powerful. The players were really disappointed as they wanted to do better than this,” said Nuengrutai, who must figure out a way to restore the team’s pride in time for their second match with Olympic silver medallists Sweden on Sunday.

“This is a big lesson. The game taught us that we still have to work a lot harder in every way. The players must put this behind and move on as quick as possible,” Nuengrutai added.

National coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian

Team’s manager Nualphan Lamsam said she was prepared for defeat but did not expect it to be that big.

“We were torn apart. The players were intimidated and lost concentration after they lost three goals in seven minutes at the start of the second half. Our defence was in disarray,” said Nualphan, who is also the team’s main benefactor.

“It was tough for us as several of our players were injured while the US were at full strength. This loss affected the players tremendously.”

She said they needed to regroup and somehow find a way to bounce back in the two remaining games, including the Group F finale against Chile on June 20.

“We have to adjust the game plan urgently. We must use the best 11 players against Sweden. My sincere apology to the fans for letting them down,” Nualphan said.

Team’s manager Nualphan Lamsam 

We respect everyone: skipper

United States captain Megan Rapinoe said hammering Thailand 13-0 in the Women’s World Cup was all “part of growing the game” after a win so lopsided there were suggestions they should have eased up to save the Thais from embarrassment.

Rapinoe scored the ninth goal for the title-holders, one of 10 in the second half as the USA surpassed the tournament record of 11-0, set by Germany against Argentina in 2007.

“We have the utmost respect for everyone we play but it’s the World Cup and that’s part of it. It’s part of growing the game. They’ll improve from here,” said Rapinoe.

Alex Morgan starred with five goals in the Group F opener in Reims, in Champagne country, as the USA pulverised a Thailand side playing at just their second World Cup.

This was always going to be a daunting challenge for the Chaba Kaew, who made it to France thanks to their run to the semi-finals at last year’s Asian Cup.

“There are some teams here that, since the last World Cup, have only played a handful of games, or only the qualifiers. It’s embarrassing for the federations, and for FIFA as well,” said Rapinoe as she reflected on the gulf between the world’s top sides and the rest.

Not that Thailand are necessarily minnows – they sit 34th in the FIFA rankings, higher than six other sides competing at this World Cup

One TV commentator said the win was so comprehensive that the USA should have stopped attacking late in the game but Rapinoe said the champions were delighted to now have the record for the biggest World Cup win and to make a statement as they go in search of their fourth world title.

“I was hoping we’d beat Germany! I had that in mind,” she joked.

“We always want to have any world record and anything we can get over the Germans, we’ll take it.

Mewis, whose two goals came on her World Cup finals debut, added: “We need to keep our feet on the ground and I think we will, but I do think that we created a lot of good energy and that’s something that can help carry us forward.”

The 29-year-old Asian strongman tees up in the US Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links tonight (3.36am Thailand time) feeling confident he can secure a maiden victory on American soil very soon.

A knee injury suffered during the Masters Tournament in April is still causing minor concerns but the burly Thai, who is loved by fans for his grip it-and-rip it style of play, is prepared to battle on ahead of the year’s third major.

“The game is feeling better and better. Swing feels good, results are better and I can see improvements,” said Kiradech, who is world-ranked 61.

“Everything is almost back to natural. The right knee still disturbs me a little bit. I don’t feel comfortable when I need to bend my knees, like when I’m reading putts or hitting bunker shots. However, it doesn’t hurt when I’m swinging the club. I have to build up the muscles around that knee.”

A former Asian Tour No 1 and four-time European Tour winner, Kiradech is seeking to become the first Thai to win on the PGA Tour. In his first full season in America, he has been on the fringe of contention on several occasions and admitted he did not handle those situations well.

“To get my first win, I need to get used to being in contention,” said Kiradech, who has three top-5s this season.

“Every time I’m in contention, I start thinking there are so many great players on the leaderboard and I don’t feel like myself. I then put too much in my head. It’s not me playing golf and I don’t play my normal golf.

“I go into tournaments now with ambition. I know I’m good enough to win. Before I was thinking of making cuts. Now I want to make history.”

In his attempt for a breakthrough, Kiradech will treat the U.S. Open like any other week as he chases FedExCup points to improve his ranking and also Official World Golf Ranking points to boost his chances of playing in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia this December.

He currently ranks 18th on the International Team points list, trailing eighth-ranked Jason Day by 25.54 points which is the cut-off for automatic selection.

“I’ll treat it like another tournament,” he insisted. “Previously, I always thought the majors were so big and I had to do well and prepare well – but [thinking like] that only put additional pressure on me. I’ve got to treat it like it’s another golf tournament. There are four majors a year and I think I’ll be playing in many more.”

He has played once previously on Pebble Beach and added: “It’s a difficult course and we can expect a US Open set-up. I don’t really like tough conditions but you have no choice as you’re competing in a major. Everyone knows it’s going to be tough and I’m just going to play the hole that’s in front of me.”

At the 2018 Meijer LPGA Classic, Ryu closed with a 5-under 67 to capture a two-stroke win over Caroline Masson and went on to donate $100,000 of her winner’s check to the Simply Give charitable program.

This Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give event helps raise awareness about Meijer Simply Give, support local food pantries and to bring the community together through local events and the game of golf. Proceeds from the tournament and each of the week’s festivities will once again benefit the Meijer Simply Give program that stocks the shelves of food pantries across the Midwest. The 2018 tournament raised $1 million for local food pantries through Simply Give. In total, the tournament has generated more than $3.1 million for the Meijer Simply Give program.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC FOR SIMPLY GIVE           

• This is the sixth playing of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, with all tournaments held at Blythewood Country Club
• Four of the five past champions are in the field – Brooke Henderson (2017), Mirim Lee (2014), So Yeon Ryu (2018) and Lexi Thompson (2015)
• The course was rerouted in 2019 to heighten the experience around the 25,000-square-foot Grand Taste pavilion, which is billed as the best food experience on any tour

LEXI THOMPSON STILL RIDING EAGLE HIGH

With an eagle on the final hole at last week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, Lexi Thompson earned the 11th victory of her LPGA career and reached the winner’s circle for the seventh consecutive season, the longest active streak on Tour. Combined with a tie for second at the previous week’s U.S. Women’s Open and Thompson heads to the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she has finished in the top 10 the last four years, as a force to be reckoned with.

“I just feel good where my game’s at, I feel confident, and just coming into a new week, new golf course,” said Thompson, who is still using the claw putting grip she switched to on the Tuesday of the U.S. Women’s Open. “Just try to get to know the golf course and go out with the same attitude that I have been the last few weeks.”

Thompson will tee off at 12:59 p.m. on No. 10 on Thursday with fellow past Meijer LPGA Classic champions Brooke Henderson and So Yeon Ryu.

WORLD NO. 1 KO RESTED AND READY FOR BLYTHEWOOD

Fresh off a week of vacation with her parents in Atlanta, World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, the self-proclaimed Happiest Player in Golf, is right back in her happy place.

“I went to an aquarium in Atlanta with my family because it was my mom’s first time to an aquarium,” said Ko, who hosted her parents from their home in the Republic of Korea over the last two weeks. “We had great time. I’m happy playing golf again, so I’m looking forward like this week and the next week, too.”

Ko is making her second appearance at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give after finishing T13 in 2018.

Ko will tee off at 8:10 a.m. on No. 1 on Thursday with Gaby Lopez and Gerina Piller.

NOTABLE FIRST-ROUND GROUPINGS

Jeongeun Lee6, who finished second at last week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic and won the U.S. Women’s Open the week prior, tees off at 1:10 p.m. off No. 10 with Shanshan Feng and Nelly Korda

2014 Meijer LPGA Classic winner Mirim Lee tees off at 1:32 p.m. off No. 1 with Megan Khang and Angela Stanford

Monday qualifier Gabrielle Shipley, who won the 2016 NCAA Division II women’s golf title for Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, tees off at 2:05 p.m. off No. 10 with Jenny Haglund and Youngin Chun

LPGA, J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY CELEBRATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

The timing could not be more perfect: as the LPGA Tour experiences a ‘Baby Boom’, The J.M. Smucker Company is extending its partnership with the LPGA while it celebrates the 25th anniversary of its support for the LPGA Child Development Center.

The LPGA pioneered the concept of providing the children of its athletes with high quality and familiar child development services and, in 1993, the Smucker LPGA Child Development Center became the first traveling childcare center in the world of professional sports. The program has provided childcare services to LPGA athletes and staff since its inception and has been invaluable in helping the LPGA’s athlete moms continue their careers after having children.

Three full-time credentialed child development staff members, led by the center’s director, Bardine May, travel to each LPGA Tour event in North America to provide consistent care and education for the children of players. The facility is also supported by temporary credentialed staff and volunteers. This year, the Smucker LPGA Child Development Center will travel to 21 LPGA tournaments in North America.

“I don’t think there will ever be enough ways to say thank you to The J.M. Smucker Company for all they have done to support the Smucker LPGA Child Development Center,” said Heather Daly-Donofrio, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour who retired from competition in 2008 and is now the LPGA’s Chief Tour Operations Officer. “Smucker was way ahead of the times when they signed on to support our athletes 25 years ago with full-time childcare, enabling our athletes to show the world that they can be both world-class athletes and world-class mothers.”

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “It is my absolute pleasure to announce that Jitinat Asdamongkol (Plai) has been named President of ONE Championship Thailand. Jitinat is a well-loved martial arts pioneer in Thailand, and a seasoned business leader in the Thai media and entertainment industry. He will work alongside myself and the rest of our leadership team to scale ONE Championship into Asia’s first multi-billion dollar global sports media property in history.”

Jitinat Asdamongkol, President of ONE Championship Thailand, stated: “It is an honor to join ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization. Martial arts, especially mixed martial arts, has been at the center of my life and for the longest time, I’ve worked diligently to help grow the sport in my country. Thailand has some of the best martial arts talent in the world. Part of my role as President of ONE Championship Thailand is to develop and nurture these incredible human beings and transform them into real life superheroes by creating a strong and sustainable ecosystem with initiatives that will be working with local partners, stakeholders and communities in the industry.”

Prior to joining ONE Championship, Jitinat served as President of the Thai Mixed Martial Arts Federation (TMMAF) and Content Innovation Director at JSL Global Media. He has focused most of his career on developing amateur mixed martial arts in Thailand. Also, he helped to establish standard rules and regulations, as well as develop the sport on a grassroots level.

During his time at TMMAF, Jitinat arranged events and learning programs to raise knowledge and awareness for mixed martial arts. He also helped establish mixed martial arts as a safe and positive sport for the people.

Jitinat holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from Clarkson University, and a Master’s Degree in the College of Management from Mahidol University.

All 380 matches will be broadcast on all platforms — TrueVisions, TrueMoveH, TrueOnline and TrueID — a statement from Thailand’s largest pay TV operator said on Wednesday.

The deal came after an agreement between Premier League and Facebook fell through in March this year.

The social media giant had agreed to a deal in May last year to land coverage of English football’s premium event in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia with a £200-million offer.

Birathon Kasemsri, chief content and media officer, True Corporation, said TrueVisions will be the only network in Thailand to show all the action of the English Premier League, with live broadcasts, reruns, and highlights of every match.

They will make available six channels for broadcast of the world’s biggest football league, which will kick off the new season on August 10.

TrueVisions has also been given a live and on-demand digital broadcast licence across all platforms so football fans can enjoy the excitement of the matches according to their own convenience and lifestyle, he added.

“Brace yourselves for the most complete English Premier League experience ever. And we will proudly present it in new and innovative ways that will more deeply engage all fans throughout Thailand,” Birathon said.

Further details including its format, how to watch and promotions for both new and existing customers will be announced soon, the company said.

TrueVisions has acquired the broadcast rights directly from the Premier League but the firm refused to reveal how much the deal cost.

TrueVisions in the past had won the rights to broadcast the EPL for several years before Cable Thai Holding snapped up the rights for the 2013 to 2015 seasons with a Bt10-billion bid.

In the last three seasons, Truevisions has sublicensed the broadcast rights from beIN Sports.

Premier League director of broadcasting Paul Molnar said they were very pleased to welcome TrueVisions back as a broadcast partner for the next three years.

“They have exciting plans to make our competition available on multiple platforms, and we look forward to seeing fans in Thailand enjoy the best Premier League action,” said Molnar.

Meanwhile, TrueVisions is trying to acquire the broadcast rights for Champions League games in the rest of the two seasons after Thailand’s vast army of football fans were left bitterly disappointed at not being able to watch last season’s games.

The rights to broadcast the Champions League from 2019-21 seasons were awarded to DAZN, the parent company of goal.com.But the website failed to deliver the broadcast in Thailand throughout the last season. It remained unclear if the fans will be able to watch games in the rest of the seasons.