London Olympics: Chen Long ousts Lee Hyun Il to clutch bronze medal in Men’s Singles event
China’s Chen Long performed superbly in his extended run of the London Olympics and claimed a bronze medal after stamping Lee Hyun Il at Wembley Arena on August 5, 2012.
This play-off round match kept both contenders head-to-head for three exhausting sets before ending with 21-12, 15-21 and 21-15 margin.
World Number three Chen Long locked the honour by prevailing in the opening and closing segments of the battle whereas the opposing Korean shuttler could live his moment of glory only in the second set.
The opening game started with an intensive attack of the Chinese player who established an unassailable lead by gathering valuable points in a row.
He did not lose this momentum in next couple of rallies and maintained the upper hand throughout the first half.
On the other hand, the veteran shuttler Hyun Il made every effort to come out of his competitor’s influence but he could not stop Chen Long from putting a mountainous total of 11 before the interval.
Later part of the game was also played in same manner as the suppressed Korean campaigner failed to rise and surrendered after reading 12-21 score on the board.
However, he did not remain at lower end permanently and rose from the dust in very next set. This time he played positive badminton and outclassed his challenger technically and tactically.
In first half, he employed a cautious approach and kept low profile in the beginning but then made a giant leap to make the difference before the one-minute break.
World Number ten Hyun Il, who was also seventh seeded player of the event, put all of his brilliance and experience in the game and swept the table with decisive figure of 21-15.
The decider proved a replay of previous set but in reverse manner as the Chinese player switched on the best and survived this intense battle in even more impressive manner.
Chen Long showed strong character in the pressure situation and gained a decent advantage immediately in the beginning.
He laid the foundation of his victory by bagging first half with a notable difference and then secured an Olympic bronze medal with staggering knock of 21-15.
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