RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei beat two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China on Friday, avenging his last two losses to Lin in the Olympic finals and further denting once-powerful China's grip on the sport.
Both men are considered by many to be the best players of their era, and maybe of all time, and the semifinal match was often thrilling. Lee's reaction at the end — falling to his knees, covering his face with his hands and putting his forehead on the court before leaping up in the air and pumping his fists — made it seem more like a gold medal contest than the semifinals.