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Lin Dan jumps in delight after winning the men's singles final against Lee Chong Wei. (Xinhua)
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Four years ago, he suffered an ignominious first-round exit. This time around, he swept to the title in imperious style.
China's world No 1 Lin Dan clinched the men's singles badminton title yesterday, completely outclassing Malaysia's second seed, Lee Chong Wei.
Not only did he erase his first-round loss in Athens four years ago to Singapore's Ronald Susilo, but he also made sure there will be no arguments as to who is the best male shuttler in the world.
Indeed, the world champion produced a silky-smooth performance that left Lee hopelessly outgunned, en route to winning 21-12, 21-8 and sparking wild celebrations from the packed Chinese crowd.
"The victory means so much to me, I feel extremely happy today," said the 24-year-old. "In the past four years, I had suffered lots of pressure. I hope in the future, I can play badminton for fun."
Lin, a superstar in a country where badminton is a passion, roared in victory, collapsed on the ground before saluting to the crowd with a Chinese flag wrapped around his shoulders.
Lin then raced over to the crowd where he was grabbed and hugged.
He also blew a kiss towards his girlfriend, world No 1 female shuttler Xie Xingfang, who was watching from the stands.
The loss was heartbreak for the mild-mannered Lee and for Malaysia, which had been counting on their in-form star to deliver the country's first Olympic gold in any sport. But, with the weight of a nation of his shoulders, Lee made a series of costly errors in the first game as Lin who, with a packed Chinese crowd screaming their support, produced some brilliant shots.
"I could hardly follow his fast speed and variation of rhythm," said the dejected 25-year-old.
Nevertheless, he tried to claw his way back, but Lin held his nerve, attacking aggressively to wrap up the first game.
Lin, the two-time defending world champion, raced to a 7-0 lead in the second game, before a stunned Lee started to even find his rhythm. Although the Malaysian earned a few points on mistakes from Lin, it was only a matter of time before the Chinese steadied and stormed to victory.
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(Agencies)
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四年前，他遭受了首轮出局的耻辱。而这一次，他横扫赛场一举夺冠。
昨日，世界排名第一的中国选手林丹大胜马来西亚二号种子选手李宗伟，稳稳拿下羽毛球男子单打冠军。
他不仅一扫四年前雅典奥运会上首轮即遭新加坡选手苏西洛淘汰的阴霾，同时也向人们证明了他才是世界羽坛“一哥”。
的确，这位世界冠军的表现无懈可击，他以21比12、21比8的比分力克对手李宗伟，引来了全场中国观众忘情的欢呼祝贺。
24岁的林丹说：“这次胜利对我来说意义重大，我今天太高兴了。过去的四年里，我承受了太大的压力。希望以后能好好享受羽毛球带来的乐趣。”
在羽毛球热盛行的中国，林丹算得上是位超级明星。他在获胜后大喊一声，然后躺在地上。随后，他起身，身披国旗，向全场观众行了个军礼。
接着，他冲向观众，人们争相与他握手拥抱。
他还向看台上的女友、世界头号羽毛球选手谢杏芳献上了一记飞吻。
这次失败对于性情温和的李宗伟甚至对马来西亚来说，无疑让人失望扼腕。李宗伟曾是马来西亚寄予厚望能为其赢得首枚奥运金牌的人选。可是，肩负着整个国家厚望的李宗伟却在第一场比赛中就失误了好几个关键球，而林丹却在全场中国观众的加油助威声中好球连连。
25岁的李宗伟说：“我几乎赶不上他的速度和节奏变化。”
就算是那样，他还是一直很努力地想要扳回比赛，只是林丹始终劲头十足，奋力拼杀，最终豪取了首局比赛。
曾经两度卫冕世界冠军的林丹，在第二轮比赛一开始就以7比0遥遥领先，而李宗伟似乎还有没来得及跟上他的节奏。虽然后来李宗伟因为林丹的几次失误得了几分，但是林丹向胜利进发却已是势不可挡的局面了。
（实习生吴昭文 英语点津Helen编辑） |
