SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2016 SPORTS China’s Chen wins gold, Malaysia’s Lee 3rd silver BADMINTON RIO DE JANEIRO: China’s Chen Long won gold yesterday in men’s badminton, hand- TAEKWONDO ing Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei his third straight Olympic silver medal and signaling Chen’s place as the game’s new power. Cisse sinks Muhammed for Chen fell face down on the court then Ivory Coast’s first gold rose weeping after his 2-0 victory. He then threw three rackets and his shirt into the RIO DE JANEIRO: Cheick Sallah Cisse was the toast crowd, which was largely filled with of the Ivory Coast on Friday as he won their first Chinese supporters, before draping himself ever Olympic gold medal with a killer kick in the in the Chinese flag. last second of the men’s under-80kg taekwondo Lee, while old by badminton standards final. at 33, was world No. 1 and the favorite Cisse created history for the West African coun- coming in. But he faced massive pressure try when he stunned third seed Lutalo Muhammad not to lose another Olympic gold, and was of Britain with a four-point score right at the death coming off a hard-fought match a day earli- to win 8-6. Tunisia’s Oussama Oueslati and Milad er against China’s Lin Dan, the man who Beigi Harchgani of Turkey won the bronze medals. beat him in the last two Olympic finals, that Ivory Coast’s only previous Olympic medal was felt more like a gold-medal contest than a the silver won by Gabriel Tiacoh in the men’s 400m semifinal. Both Lee and Lin are considered at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Ivory Coast then by many to be the best players of their era, got a second medal on the night when Ruth and maybe of all time. Gbagbi claimed bronze in the women’s under-67kg Chen is now making his place at the top. Chen led early in the first game of the best- class. of-three match then trailed before capital- “I was able to realise this dream with courage izing on repeated Lee errors at the net to and with passion. I don’t have a lot of dreams, but pull ahead and win 21-18. Chen then this was one of them,” he said afterwards. fought off an early Lee lead in the second British number one Muhammad was forlorn at game to power by the Malaysian 21-18. coming so close to the title after taking bronze in Though Lee played aggressively, often London four years ago. “I was a second away from staring Chen down after winners, Chen RIO DE JANEIRO: An overview shows China’s Chen Long return against Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei in their men’s singles Gold my dream of being Olympic champion. I’m so sorry seemed to have an answer to both Lee’s Medal badminton match at the Riocentro stadium in Rio de Janeiro yesterday, for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. China’s Chen I don’t want to cry on TV but I was so close,” he told power, parrying his smashes, and to his Long won the match. —AFP BBC straight after the fight. touch, repeatedly finding his drop shots Viktor Axelsen of Denmark beat two- superpower. Several top players, including heavy favorite ahead of the Rio Games, also He later revisited the moment when his gold and lifting them safely toward Lee’s back- time Olympic champion Lin 2-1 earlier medalists from past games, lost early in Rio. beat Li Xuerui, the defending Olympic dream was cruelly taken from him. “It was the last court. Chen’s smashes more often found yesterday. China swept all five badminton gold champion from China, to get to the gold kick, my check skimmed off and his reverse kick hit. the lines for winners and his subtle net Despite Chen’s victory and an earlier medals at the 2012 London Games. medal match. Sindhu, ranked world No. 10, “It was a horrible moment when at the last second shots often had Lee flustered. gold for China in men’s doubles, it has been On Friday, Carolina Marin of Spain beat made a strong, surprising run through the his points have gone on the board and the times The triumph of youth was also the a tough Olympics for China, which has lost P.V. Sindhu of India for gold in women’s sin- tournament. Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara took run out and there’s nothing you can do about it-but story in the bronze medal match as its place as badminton’s overwhelming gles badminton. Marin, the world No. 1 and bronze. —AP hey, that’s sport.” Muhammad had steamrollered into the final, ending American veteran Steven Lopez’s dream of becoming the oldest ever taek- wondo Olympic champion in the quarter-finals. Britain stun Dutch for Reflecting om his performance the fifth seed from London borough of Walthamstow said: “I’m first women hockey gold very happy and proud to be here, a second time Olympian, second time Olympic medallist-a bronze, then silver, so we know what’s next eh? minute of the second period, firing the ball into the top corner of the goal. TRIBUTE Maartje Paumen, bidding for her “I came within inches of achieving what has HOCKEY been a life goal for me. Of course emotions are raw. third gold, put her side in front with a I was very sad about it. The sun will rise tomorrow. penalty corner. I’ll get over it.” RIO DE JANEIRO: Great Britain won But the lead lasted only a minute He paid tribute to Cisse, saying: “He’s a very their first Olympic Games women’s when Crista Cullen shot past an off-bal- game champion, I wish him all the best, and I’ll get hockey gold medal on Friday with a ance Joyce Sombroek in the Dutch him next time.” Before he left the arena he was dramatic shoot-out triumph over two- goal. asked if he would have done anything differently in time defending champions the the final, he thought for a second then replied sim- The faster, quick-breaking Dutch ply: “Yeh - I’d have won.” Netherlands. restored their lead for a second time In the women’s under-67kg final South Korea’s The British twice came from behind through van Male after a well-worked Oh Hy-Eri upset France’s top seed Haby Niare 13-12. in normal time to draw 3-3 and then penalty corner had caught the British Gbagbi and Nur Tatar of Turkey won bronze. clinched a 2-0 shoot-out victory. defence cold. A mammoth 40-match 13 hour day’s action had It was the Dutch team’s first loss at But with eight minutes left, Nicola begun in high drama with a shock defeat for sec- an Olympics since 2004 — after a run White saved Britain with a close-range ond seed Aaron Cook. of 21 wins-and shattered their bid to The British-born player was fighting in the effort after a goal-mouth scramble. Olympics for the first time since Beijing 2008 after RIO DE JANEIRO: Spain’s Carolina Marin, center, holds her gold medal as India’s V. become the first team to win three suc- In the shoot-out, both sides missed being controversially overlooked by British selec- Sindhu Pusarla, left, holds her silver medal and Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, right, holds cessive gold medals. their first two attempts but Britain tors for London 2012. her bronze medal during the medal ceremony for the women’s badminton singles gold Goalkeeper Maddie Hinch played grabbed the lead when Bray was fouled medal match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday. —AP After a costly appeal-funded in part by his par- the starring role for the British team, as she took her turn. ents-failed to get him reinstated in the team Cook pulling off four saves in the shoot-out. Helen Richardson-Walsh converted took dramatic action, switching nationalities to “Every time we play Holland they the ensuing penalty stroke. fight under the Moldovan flag. The move was fund- India cheers first usually put us under the pump and we ed by Moldovan billionaire taekwondo federation Margot van Geffen then hit the post president Igor Iuzefovici. have to ride those periods and make which paved the way for Hollie Webb But his long circuitous route back to the woman to win silver sure we take those chances at the other to smash home the gold medal winner. Olympics came to nothing, his ambitions for gold end,” said Hinch. “I’m so proud to be British. So proud left in tatters on the mat at Rio’s Carioca Arena by reporters that his daughter “performed “So I knew I’d have a role to play to be a part of Team GB. So proud of Taiwan’s Liu Wei-Ting. brilliantly”-but added he was slightly today and I’m just pleased I let the this right now,” said Webb. The 25-year-old from Dorchester said: “I’m disappointed that she didn’t take gold. nerves settle and put the goals (con- “If that just inspired anyone to pick absolutely devastated-all that hard work and sacri- BADMINTON “A bit disappointed but we are hap- ceded) to bed and moved on. I’m really up a hockey stick, any age, any gender, fice by myself and my parents, I just feel I’ve let py with the performance.