2012 London Summer Olympics

[ Check Out Stunning Pictures from the Opening Ceremony ]

For the badminton purists, there couldn't have been a much more entertaining match than between China's defending champion Lin Dan and his fearsome rival from Malaysia Lee Chong Wei. Unfortunately, only one can stake claim to the title.

As both the shuttlers went for broke, Lin Dan, soaked in sweat, emerged triumphant with a magnificent 15-21, 21-10, 21-19 victory, which gave China a clean sweep of the five gold at stake in badminton.

There was a big question mark over Chong Wei's Olympic participation with nearly a fortnight to go for the Games, as he was suffering from an ankle injury. On Sunday, he stood up to Lin Dan, winning the first game, but then started tiring by the middle of the second game, allowing Lin Dan to unleash his amazing repertoire of strokes to bag the title.

The achievement of beating one of the world's best exponents of the game was too satisfying for Lin Dan to not lose his sanity. He tore his red shirt and wept like a child when China's flag was being unfurled.

However, there were moments when it seemed like Lin Dan might just fall short of the finish line, especially when his Malaysian rival was leading 18-16 in the final game. But the 2004 Beijing script didn't change and Chong Wei had to play second fiddle once again.

The injury suffered by the Malaysian in the run-up to the London Games was what probably made the difference between success and disappointment. Chong Wei got barely a fortnight to train after suffering a threatening ankle injury in June. But, still, he was good enough to last till the end in the 80-minute humdinger.

Chong Wei has found himself on the losing side despite spending 199 weeks as the top of the world rankings and he can only blame one person for his misery --- Lin Dan.

Later, China made a clean sweep of the badminton medals when Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng bagged the men's doubles title, beating Denmark's Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21-16, 21-15.

Li Xuerui became the toast of her nation when she overcame world champion Wang Yihan 21-15, 21-23, 21-17 in an all-Chinese women's final at the Wembley Arena.

A beaming Li was quoted as saying that though she was extremely tired after the grueling semifinal clash, it had also given her the confidence to aspire for gold. "It was determination and persistency that made sure I was the winner today," she was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Sunday that the match-fixing scandal that had rocked the Olympics in London a few days back will not impact the future of the game or its popularity after the great final between Lon Dan and Chong Wei. Eight players --- four teams --- were barred after they were found guilty of throwing their matches to earn suitable draws.

 

 

Lin Dan Defends Badminton Crown as China Sweeps Olympic Event