BEIJING: China’s veteran Zhang Ning successfully defended her Olympic badminton crown against world No. 1 Xie Xingfang yesterday, and then dropped to her knees and burst into tears.
Zhang, the oldest woman to win the title at 33, pulled off a stunning upset over teammate and hot favorite Xie, winning 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 covering her face 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.
Even after Athens, when she won gold at 29, Zhang, whose injured right knee was strapped during yesterday’s 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,” she said.
“I did a lot and paid a lot for this gold. “I’m 33 years old and I made it to the finals in this Beijing Games, I believe it was tenacity that got me this gold medal.” 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 so far after taking the women’s doubles title on Friday.
But their ambitions for a clean sweep of all five were dashed by Indonesia’s men’s doubles duo Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan who downed China’s Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng for gold late yesterday.
It was the first gold for Indonesia at these Games, and the pair said they were proud the win came a day after the nation’s Independence Day on Friday.
Indonesia’s mixed doubles champions also dumped the last Chinese pair from the event in the semifinals, leaving the Indonesians to battle against South Korea’s best for gold today.
Yesterday’s loss was 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. “I’m not thinking about London (Olympics) now, it’s hard to imagine if I will participate,” she also said.
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.
Zhang, playing at her last Olympics, silenced critics who questioned her inclusion in the team at the expense of world champion Zhu Lin after she slipped to seven in the world rankings through injury.
Zhang took the first game at a canter with a mix of craft and aggression, but Xie came charging back in the second with precision shots as errors started to creep into the veteran’s game.
In the decider, Zhang took a 3-0 lead and kept edging ahead, showing steely determination with her shots, that formed part of numerous lengthy rallies, and pumping her fist in the air with every winning point.
But Xie refused to throw in the towel, grinding down her teammate to level at 15-15. The exhausted pair matched point for point before Zhang pulled ahead 20-17. Xie saved one match point but not the second.
