Chong Wei lost to world champion Chen Long of China by 21-18, 21-19 in the men’s singles badminton final in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.
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“Indeed, I was thinking about winning the gold on the Olympic stage like this”, said 27-year-old Chen, who threw his racquets and shirt into feverish clusters of Chinese fans after winning his second medal. After beating Lee in two straight gold medal matches and with Lee retiring after the Olympics, Lin knew that Lee was going to want revenge more than ever.
The double Olympic champion took the first set 21-15 but exhausted to lose the following two games 21-10, 21-17 in a defeat that likely brought the curtain down on his hallowed Games career.
The doubles gold and Chen Long are bright spots for China, but Lin’s loss reflects the nation’s general fall in badminton.
These two stories, Lin Dan leaving Rio without a medal, Great Britain’s Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge winning the bronze in men’s doubles, and the success of the Danish in the tournament, are all memories that can be taken away from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
In the last-four match, Lin won the first game 21-15 but lost the second 21-11 before his dreams of a third consecutive Olympic gold medal were shattered with a 22-20 defeat in the third.
Lee battled to the finish, saving two match-points but surrendered on the third with a desperate smash that just sailed wide, triggering wild celebrations from red-clad Chinese fans in flag-draped terraces.
“I think this is my first time to beat Lin Dan at a big competition”. “Before that, Lin had rivalry with [Indonesia’s] Taufik Hidayat and then Lee Chong Wei came along”.
China’s Lin has dominated the sport with five world titles inaddition to Olympic golds from 2008 and 2012 but Axelsen shocked thefavourite 2-1 (15-21, 21-10, 21-17) for a medal on his first trip tothe Games. I must be happy for what I’ve achieved. But even at his best, he would have struggled getting past an in-form Long, who reinforced his position as the top badminton player in the world.
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“Prince but never a king”, “Silver dollar man”, “Bridesmaid for Life”, the best shuttler never to win an Olympic gold medal. “I unleashed everything today and gave it my all”.
