China's badminton sweep marred by scandal

Titles sweep

China's peerless badminton team shrugged off the furore, saying it would motivate them to an unprecedented sweep of all titles and they duly backed up their fighting words.

China's badminton team pose at the men's doubles badminton victory ceremony during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Wembley Arena, Aug 5, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

After Yu and Wang were expelled from the Games and booted out of the athletes' village, China's second-ranked women's doubles pair of Zhao Yunlei and Tian Qing stepped up to win the gold by thrashing Japan's Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa.

That made Zhao, a round-faced, 25-year-old from a bustling Yangtze river port, the first to win badminton golds in two events at the same Games, having already won the all-China mixed doubles final with partner Zhang Nan.

Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei set up a shot at redemption and re-match with reigning champion Lin Dan to make the final of the men's singles, four years after losing the gold-medal decider to the Chinese at Beijing.

Lin prevailed in a three-game classic to become the first male player to defend a singles title, underlining his claim as the finest badminton player of all time.

Lee, who held the number one ranking for much of his career but never won an Olympic, world or Asian Games title, was crushed after coming within two points of gold in his final Games.

China hailed a bright new talent in 21-year-old Li Xuerui, who mowed through a succession of opponents before upsetting top-seeded compatriot Wang Yihan for the women's singles title.

China's veteran pair of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng completed the sweep by capturing a long-awaited men's doubles gold after being denied on their home court in Beijing.

They blitzed Danes Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in the final, but Denmark were thrilled to defy Asia's badminton powers by poaching a silver and a mixed doubles bronze.

India celebrated a maiden badminton medal with a fortuitous bronze in the women's singles to Saina Nehwal after her Chinese opponent retired hurt.

Indonesia, though, were plunged into gloom when their proud record of producing an Olympic champion at every tournament ended with a thud, the team failing to take a single medal.

Russia snatched an unlikely bronze in the women's doubles after the already-eliminated Nina Vislova and Valeria Sorokina were re-instated in the draw following the expulsions.