Despite failing to bring home the gold, national badminton champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei remains the number one hero in his father Lee Ah Chai's heart.

Ah Chai, 63, when met at his house in Bandar Cassia, Batu Kawan, near here, said his son had competed against Chen Long, a player who is from the stronghold of the Great Wall of China.

"Despite the defeat, Chong Wei gave his best in this match. He remains a hero in my heart and forever holds the first place in my heart," he said.

Praising Chen Long's performance, Ah Chai thanked all Malaysians who had relentlessly supported his son.

The father of the 34-year-old champion also apologised to all Malaysians on behalf of his son for not securing a gold for Malaysia in the Olympics.

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Chong Wei lost to Chen Long by 21-18, 21-19 in straight sets in the men's singles badminton final in Rio de Janeiro today.

Meanwhile, former national coach Datuk Misbun Sidek described Chong Wei as the best athlete in the history of Malaysia and that it will be difficult to replace him.

"This is all history. Congratulations to him and of course winning or losing is part of the game," he said after watching the match at Kedai Mamu John, Penaga here, tonight.

Misbun said that Chong Wei showed a strong fighting spirit during the match.

"A player of Chong Wei's calibre can only be found in 10 to 15 years to come," he said.

At the same time, Misbun said Malaysia had talented players like Iskandar Zulkarnain, but he feared Iskandar did not have a good coach.

"Iskandar needs a good coach and if he fine-tunes his playing skills, I am sure he will become a bright potential," he said.

Earlier, about 200 Malaysian badminton fans had gathered at the restaurant to show their support for Chong Wei.

A fan, Muhamad Khairul Idham Mustafa, 36, said he was proud of Chong Wei even though he didn't win a gold medal.

"He remains a good player and I'm still proud of him," he said.