Super-ior Dan shows his class

Lin Dan jumps in delight after winning the men's singles final against Lee Chong Wei. (Xinhua)

　　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.

　　(Agencies)

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