Li outlasts Wang for singles gold
Source: Agencies |
August 5, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA'S Li Xuerui survived two ferocious comebacks by her top-seeded compatriot Wang Yihan to seal the women's singles badminton gold at the London Games yesterday, capping her fairytale rise to the pinnacle of the sport.
Li had never imagined she would force her way onto China's peerless badminton team but a 30-game winning streak in the leadup to the tournament won her a spot.
"Just being selected for China means something," the soft-spoken 21-year-old told reporters after upsetting the world champion 21-15, 21-23, 21-17. "To be honest it's still like I am dreaming at the moment but looking back, it really was my hard work that got me on the team."
Li has shown remarkable composure to shrug off a match-fixing scandal that threatened to derail the Chinese juggernaut and resulted in the expulsion of their world champion doubles pair Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli.
Instead, Li seems to have gone from strength to strength, thrashing second-seeded Wang Xin in the semifinal and then grinding down world No. 1 Wang Yihan in front an enthralled crowd at Wembley Arena.
"I think it was extremely cruel for my two teammates to be disqualified because it's extremely difficult for any athlete to compete at the Olympics," Li added. "Having said that, China has done well, winning both the mixed doubles and the singles and we should share that with them."
Li raised her arms in triumph after forcing an error to seal the 78-minute classic and acknowledged ecstatic Chinese fans with an army salute. The vanquished Wang tried to smile but grimly held back tears as she stood next to the beaming Li on the podium.
In a late match, Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei won the women's doubles. Zhao, who won the mixed doubles gold on Friday, and Tian defeated Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of Japan 21-10, 25-23 on their fourth match point.
Russia's first Olympic badminton medalists, Valeria Sorokina and Nina Vislova, won the bronze over Canada.
Earlier, Saina Nehwal became only the second woman from India to win a medal in the Olympics when Wang Xin of China retired injured during their bronze playoff. Wang Xin was leading 21-18, 1-0 when she collapsed a second and last time with a twisted left knee.
Wang hurt herself while leading 20-18, and had the knee bandaged. She resumed and took the next point to clinch the first game. She won the first point of the second game but fell to the court again.
Li had never imagined she would force her way onto China's peerless badminton team but a 30-game winning streak in the leadup to the tournament won her a spot.
"Just being selected for China means something," the soft-spoken 21-year-old told reporters after upsetting the world champion 21-15, 21-23, 21-17. "To be honest it's still like I am dreaming at the moment but looking back, it really was my hard work that got me on the team."
Li has shown remarkable composure to shrug off a match-fixing scandal that threatened to derail the Chinese juggernaut and resulted in the expulsion of their world champion doubles pair Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli.
Instead, Li seems to have gone from strength to strength, thrashing second-seeded Wang Xin in the semifinal and then grinding down world No. 1 Wang Yihan in front an enthralled crowd at Wembley Arena.
"I think it was extremely cruel for my two teammates to be disqualified because it's extremely difficult for any athlete to compete at the Olympics," Li added. "Having said that, China has done well, winning both the mixed doubles and the singles and we should share that with them."
Li raised her arms in triumph after forcing an error to seal the 78-minute classic and acknowledged ecstatic Chinese fans with an army salute. The vanquished Wang tried to smile but grimly held back tears as she stood next to the beaming Li on the podium.
In a late match, Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei won the women's doubles. Zhao, who won the mixed doubles gold on Friday, and Tian defeated Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of Japan 21-10, 25-23 on their fourth match point.
Russia's first Olympic badminton medalists, Valeria Sorokina and Nina Vislova, won the bronze over Canada.
Earlier, Saina Nehwal became only the second woman from India to win a medal in the Olympics when Wang Xin of China retired injured during their bronze playoff. Wang Xin was leading 21-18, 1-0 when she collapsed a second and last time with a twisted left knee.
Wang hurt herself while leading 20-18, and had the knee bandaged. She resumed and took the next point to clinch the first game. She won the first point of the second game but fell to the court again.
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