China’s defending Olympic champion Zhang Ning won gold in the women’s badminton singles yesterday, pulling off a stunning upset over world No. 1 and compatriot Xie Xingfang.
Zhang, the veteran of the Chinese team, won a gripping match over hot gold medal favorite Xie 21-12, 10-21, 21-18 in front of a packed chanting crowd and watched by millions throughout China.
Zhang, who crouched on the court in tears after the match, said she started to doubt 100 days before the Games that she could win a medal after swelling in her knee refused to go down.
PHOTO: AP
Even after Athens, when she won gold at 29, Zhang, whose injured right knee was strapped during the match, thought she was too old for elite badminton and had not even considered playing in Beijing.
“After the Athens Games I didn’t think about participating in the Beijing Games, especially during the last two years,” the second seed said. “I wasn’t doing very well and I was kind of confused, I didn’t know what to do, but then I persevered, I tried very hard, I did a lot of training so this gold didn’t come very easy.”
Underdog Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia took bronze after she defeated China’s third seed Lun Lan.
The victory leaves China with two golds at this tournament after taking the women’s doubles title on Friday and keeps alive their ambitions of clinching all five, topping their tally of three in Athens.
The loss was a heartbreak for top seed Xie, 27, competing at her first Olympics after being left out of the China team in Athens.
Fans had been hoping for a golden double from Xie and her boyfriend, fellow world No. 1 Lin Dan, who fights for gold against Malaysia’s second seed Lee Chong Wei today in the men’s singles final.
“Since I didn’t get the gold medal I’m still a bit upset and I just hope that tomorrow Lin Dan will be able to beat Lee Chong Wei,” the silver medalist said, refusing to comment on her future plans with Lin.
Xie, a two-time world champion, hinted before the Games of retirement after Beijing, saying she wanted a life with Lin other than training and competition.
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