Cancer-hit badminton star Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement Thursday, ending a brilliant career in which he collected a swathe of honours but never won a world or Olympic title.

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 fighting off nose cancer. "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," Lee, 36, told a news conference.