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Nazvi Careem

China’s Chen Long ended Lee Chong Wei’s final bid for an Olympic gold medal, scoring a close but deserved 21-18, 21-18 victory in the final on Saturday at RioCentro Pavilion 4.
The 27-year-old world number two succeeded where compatriot and two-time defending champion Lin Dan failed, the latter being knocked out by 33-year-old Lee in an epic semi-final on Friday.
Chen’s victory dealt a heartbreaking blow to the popular Lee’s much-publicised quest for gold, after he lost in the London and Beijing finals to Lin.

The tall and lanky Chen said he owed his victory to China’s men’s double pair who won gold on Friday.
“Yesterday I saw my colleagues win the gold medal and that really inspired me when I came out to play in the final,” said Chen.
“The reason I won today has everything to do with them.”
For Lee, it was the end of a long and arduous comeback after being suspended for eight months for a doping offence.

The fact that he even returned to the world number one spot is an amazing achievement and his win over Lin may have taken too much out of him.
“It was my dream to win an Olympic gold medal because I got silver in London and Beijing but I played my best and my opponent played better than me.
“Of course i regret not being able to win but it was not to be my day.”
Chen and Lee played a cat and mouse game in the first session until Lee looked like he was taking control by going 13-9 up.
The Chinese player battled back and ran away from his opponent at 17-17 to hold three game points, converting on the second.

Chen’s strength in the first game was his ability to keep mistake to a minimum. Twice he won points after returning ferocious smashes from Lee, who was forced into errors by his rush to win rallies.
At 4-1 down in the second game, the Malaysia fans seemed to have lost their voices but two errors by Chen allowed Lee to fifth back and stay in the match.
WATCH: Golden moments on Day 14 at the Rio Olympics


Chen, a two-time world and all England champion, lost a challenge on an out call to go 8-5 down in the second before clawing back to 8-8.
Lee simply couldn’t put enough distance between the two as Chen won six points in a row to go into the interval 11-8 ahead. The Malaysian former all England winner brought it to 11-12, all from Chen errors before the Chinese surged to 15-11 lead.

A failed challenge on a call out Chen 16-13 ahead and another desperate attempt to overturn a decision backfired on Lee two points later.
Lee looked a spent man as Chen took charge. Lee’s failed drop shot gave Chen four match points and the Chinese star took gold on his third when Lee hit a smash wide.
Meanwhile, Chinese superstar Lin Dan, regarded by some as badminton’s greatest-ever player, batted off retirement talk after leaving the Rio Games empty-handed Saturday with a bronze-medal-match defeat to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen.

The double Olympic champion took the first set 21-15 but tired to lose the following two games 21-10, 21-17 in a defeat that likely brought the curtain down on his hallowed Games career.
“I was pretty drained from yesterday’s match,” Lin told reporters, referring to his semi-final defeat to arch-nemesis Lee on Friday.
“However in the third game of today’s match I think my opponent got lucky because there were several shots at the net that I didn’t perform very well,” he added.
Lin –a five-time world champion – won gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, beating Lee in both finals but he was unable to repeat those heroics in Brazil.
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.
Saturday’s third-place match loss to Axelsen was almost certainly the last time that Lin, who turns 33 later this year, would grace the Olympic stage.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Gold for China: Chen Long delivers heartbreak for Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei in badminton final

China's Chen Long celebrates after defeating Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the men’s singles final. Photo: AFP

Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei reacts against China's Chen Long during their men's singles Gold Medal badminton match at the Riocentro stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016, for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / GOH Chai Hin

China's Chen Long reacts as he celebrates after winning against Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei during their men's singles Gold Medal badminton match at the Riocentro stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016, for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / GOH Chai Hin

China's Chen Long returns to Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei during their men's singles Gold Medal badminton match at the Riocentro stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016, for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / Yuri CORTEZ

2016 Rio Olympics - Badminton - Men's Singles - Gold Medal Match - Riocentro - Pavilion 4 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 20/08/2016. Chong Wei Lee (MAS) of Malaysia stands on the court during play against Chen Long (CHN) of China. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

2016 Rio Olympics - Badminton - Men's Singles - Gold Medal Match - Riocentro - Pavilion 4 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 20/08/2016. Chen Long (CHN) of China throws a racquet into the stands after winning his match against Chong Wei Lee (MAS) of Malaysia. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Not so Super: Lin Dan bats off retirement talk after Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen wins Olympic Games badminton bronze

China's Lin Dan reacts after losing a point against Denmark's Viktor Axelsen. Photo: AP

epa05501795 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark celebrates after defeating Dan Lin of China during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Men's Bronze Medal Match at the Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20 August 2016. EPA/ESTEBAN BIBA

China's Lin Dan, left, congratulates Denmark's Viktor Axelsen after Axelsen won the men's badminton singles bronze medal match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

2016 Rio Olympics - Badminton - Men's Singles - Bronze Medal Match - Riocentro - Pavilion 4 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 20/08/2016. Lin Dan (CHN) of China plays against Viktor Axelsen (DEN) of Denmark. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

China’s Liu Hong wins gold in women’s 20km race walk nail-biter

China’s Liu Hong celebrates winning the women’s 20k race walk during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Pontal, Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Photo: AFP

Liu Hong reacts as second-place finisher Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez of Mexico breaks down in tears on crossing the line. Photo: AFP

China’s gold and bronze medallists in the women’s 20k race walk, Liu Hong and Lu Xiuzhi. Photo: Reuters

Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez of Mexico, Erica de Sena of Brazil and China’s Lu Xiuzhi and Liu Hong compete in the women’s 20k race walk on Friday. Photo: AP

‘We’re heartbroken for China’, says victorious USA 4x100m relay team after golden run

Allyson Felix and Tianna Bartoletta said their ‘hearts broke’ for the Chinese relay team, who missed out on a final spot after the USA had an appeal upheld. Photo: AP

(FromL) China's Ge Manqi, China's Liang Xiaojing, China's Wei Yongli and China's Yuan Qiqi react after competing in the Women's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1 during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 18, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / PEDRO UGARTE

(FromL) Britain's Daryll Neita, China's Liang Xiaojing, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Canada's Khamica Bingham, Netherlands' Naomi Sedney and Ghana's Janet Amponsah compete in the Women's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1 during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 18, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / PEDRO UGARTE

Does China’s worst Olympic Games medal haul since 2000 point to a change in the country’s attitude towards sport?

Zhao Shuai of China celebrates winning the men’s 58hk taekwondo final. Photo: Reuters

epa05491393 Silver medalist Jack Laugher of Great Britain, Gold medalist Cao Yuan of China, and Bronze medalist Patrick Hausding of Germany smile during the medal ceremony for the men's 3m Springboard final competition of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Diving events at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 16 August 2016. EPA/PATRICK B. KRAEMER

2016 Rio Olympics - Badminton - Mixed Doubles - Victory Ceremony - Riocentro - Pavilion 4 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 17/08/2016. Gold medallists Tontowi Ahmad (INA) of Indonesia and Liliyana Natsir (INA) of Indonesia, silver medallists Peng Soon Chan (MAS) of Malaysia and Liu Ying Goh (MAS) of Malaysia, and bronze medallists Zhang Nan (CHN) of China and Zhao Yunlei (CHN) of China stand on the podium as the Indonesian national anthem is played. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

China's Ye Shiwen prepares to compete in a heat of the women's 400-meter individual medley during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

epa05485076 Jason Kenny of Great Britain celebrates after winning gold in the men's Sprint finals of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Track Cycling events at the Rio Olympic Velodrome in the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 14 August 2016. EPA/JAVIER ETXEZARRETA

China's gold medal winner Sun Yang waves during the medal ceremony for the men's 200-meter freestyle final during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

China's Fu Yuanhui holds up her bronze medal for the women's 100-meter backstroke at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 8, 2016. Fu is popular for her wacky facial expressions and candid words. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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For the third straight Olympics, Malaysian superstar has to settle for a silver medal after losing to world number two, who keeps gold in Chinese hands


Gold for China: Chen Long delivers heartbreak for Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei in badminton final

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}For the third straight Olympics, Malaysian superstar has to settle for a silver medal after losing to world number two, who keeps gold in Chinese hands

For the third straight Olympics, Malaysian superstar has to settle for a silver medal after losing to world number two, who keeps gold in Chinese hands