Singles, Men

China’s Lin Dan was the defending Olympic champion in badminton’s men singles as well as a four-time (2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011) World Champion, but entered the London Olympics as only the second seed, having had an uneven 2012 season. Ranked above at number one, a position he had held since August 2008, was Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, the runner-up at both the 2008 Summer Games and the most recent World Championships. The two competitors had a long-standing rivalry that many believed would play out in the finals of the 2012 Olympic tournament; no other entrant came close to the amount of attention received by these two. Both had the hopes of their nation riding on their shoulders: for Lin, defending the Olympic singles’ title was considered a top priority for the Chinese delegation. For Lee, it was a chance to take home Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal.

Lin and Lee lived up to expectations, dominating the event as they charged into the finals and surrendering only one round each along the way. In the final, Lin took the first round and Lee the second, leading to a decisive final round where the Chinese competitor edged out his opponent 21-19 in a hard-earned victory. The bronze medal match was won by China’s third-ranked Chen Long, who overcame seventh-ranked Lee Hyeon-Il of South Korea 21-12, 15-21, 21-15.