Doubles partner carries coffin at funeral of badminton ‘legend’ Chung

SEOUL: The funeral of South Korea´s Chung Jae-sung took place Sunday with his former doubles partner Lee Yong-dae helping to carry the coffin after the Olympic badminton medallist, 35, died of a suspected heart attack.

Chung was found dead by his wife in their living room Friday morning, but the exact cause of his death is under investigation.He was diagnosed with the heart condition arrhythmia three years ago and complained of occasional chest pains, Yonhap news agency reported citing bereaved family members.

In January, Chung had participated in the torch relay for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as one of the bearers of he flame.Chung and Lee won bronze in the men´s doubles at the 2012 London Olympics — Chung´s final tournament before retiring.

The pair also lifted two prestigious All-England Crowns in 2008 and 2012, reaching the number one world ranking in January 2009.Lee, who played with Chung for seven years, joined other badminton players as pallbearers for the service in Suwon, near Seoul, as Chung´s death was mourned across the global badminton community.

“I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of badminton legend (Chung) Jae-sung,” said former world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, who is currently ranked second.“Please accept my condolences and may God give him eternal rest and the family the strength to bear the great pain,” Lee wrote on Facebook.British player Chris Adcock posted a photo of Chung on Instagram, calling him “an amazing player” and “legend of the game” who was “taken far too young”.