'Super Dan' defends title

Chinese badminton ace earns second singles gold medal, defeating longtime rival Lee

It's hard to be great if you've never beaten anybody great.

Lucky for Chinese badminton ace Lin Dan, he's got Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei.

In the latest major showdown of the greatest rivalry in the sport's history, Lin outperformed Lee, 15-21, 21-10, 21-19, at Wembley Arena on Sunday to become the first man to defend his Olympic singles gold medal.

The nerve-racking final was the climax of a tournament in which China achieved its first sweep of the five gold medals on offer. It followed men's pair Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng's straight-set victory over Danish duo Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in the doubles final.

The clash might have been the final chapter of the great-four era, which also featured 2004 Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat and Dane veteran Peter Gade.

Still, both insisted they might stick around.

"I don't know yet, but I won't make a quick decision," said Lin, 28. "If I continue, I have to set an exact goal to follow and find a proper approach. Otherwise, it will be a burden for me (to play as many tournaments as I did)."

Lee, the current world No 2 who also lost to Lin in the Beijing Games final, already has his eyes on the next target.

"You will still have me around in the next two years because I intend to fight for the 2014 Asian Games title and the Commonwealth Games crown," the 29-year-old said.

After a series of battles fought over the more than eight years since their first major meeting at the 2004 Thomas Cup (the men's team world championship), Lin and Lee have become tough rivals and close friends, and expect that relationship to continue.

"I feel so honored and lucky to have had him facing me on the other side of the court for so many years," Lin said. "To have an equal-level opponent is definitely important for me (to keep motivated). I cherish every match we had and look forward to having more."

Lee, who lags 23-9 in their face-to-face meetings, echoed Li's sentiment.

"Lin is a fantastic player and there will be only one Lin in the world," he said. "We also have other players like Taufik, Gade and Chen Long. Most of us had a very tough rivalry, and it's not a problem for me to play against those guys. It's always hard to handle Lin, because he's the best.

"But we have had a very good friendship off the court for many years. At the end of this month, when I go to China for a tournament, we will have a chance to further enhance our relationship."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/06/2012 page12)