“Look Who I Bumped Into” — Lee Chong Wei & Viktor Axelsen Randomly Meet Each Other In Tokyo

Cover image via @viktoraxelsen (Instagram) & @leechongweiofficial (Instagram)

Running into someone you know while travelling is already a pretty wild coincidence

Running into one of your greatest sporting rivals from halfway across the world? That’s a story you’ll definitely be telling for years.

That’s exactly what happened when Malaysian badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei unexpectedly bumped into Danish Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen while both were out and about in Tokyo, Japan.

Image via @leechongweiofficial (Instagram)

Both badminton stars later shared photos of their surprise encounter on social media, and fans couldn’t get enough of the wholesome reunion

“Great catching up with an old friend @viktoraxelsen in Tokyo! The rallies may be over, but the friendship lives on,” Lee wrote.

“Ever since our retirement, we just couldn’t find the time to catch up. Who would have thought that in this huge world, we’d end up bumping into each other in Japan during World Cup! Totally unplanned — fate is a crazy thing.”

Lee also shared that he’ll be spending the rest of his holiday in Japan with his wife, former national shuttler Wong Mew Choo, before jokingly asking Axelsen:

“By the way, how come you seem to keep getting taller? What’s going on?”

He also tagged former Japanese world No 1 Kento Momota and asked: “Should we call @momota_kento and make it a matcha coffee reunion?

Meanwhile, Axelsen also shared a a photo with Lee and said, “Look who I bumped into in Tokyo. Good to see you again @leechongweiofficial”.

Image via @viktoraxelsen (Instagram)

Although Lee retired in 2019 while Axelsen only recently stepped away from international badminton, the pair shared plenty of memorable battles throughout their careers

The encounter is also a reminder of just how small the world can be.

You could travel all the way to Tokyo, surrounded by millions of people, and somehow still run into one of the greatest badminton players you’ve ever faced.

Now we’re just waiting to see if Kento Momota actually accepts that matcha coffee invitation.