Chong Wei, Lin Dan, and a matter of belief

Lin Dan of China celebrates with his Gold medal after winning his Men’s Singles Badminton Gold Medal match against Chong Wei Lee of Malaysia

You’d be justified in thinking this sport is cruel; it’s unfair. How can one country win everything all the time?

When Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng won the final match of the Olympics, they ensured five gold medals in five events for China. How do they manage to do it?

Cai and Fu achieved a personal milestone too – an Olympic gold to go with four World Championship titles. It just couldn’t get better than that for the Chinese.

Lee Chong Wei must be feeling it most of all. He might not have been favorite going into the final against Lin Dan, but he was in great touch. The pressure was off him – especially because he was coming off an ankle injury – and somehow, the stage was set for him: the biggest stage of all, the Olympics final against arch-nemesis Lin Dan.

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei acknowledges the crowds aplause

For much of the first game, Chong Wei made his racket talk. He played bravely at the net, extracting errors from the Great Dan, created the opportunities, and smashed with venom. He was cruising in the first. Lin Dan looked slightly off-key, but it was just that Chong Wei was playing better.

Lin Dan took the second, of course, and from then it was so close one could scarcely breathe. You should’ve seen the Malaysians in the crowd. You could see hope and fear in those eyes: hope that Chong Wei would finally do it; fear that he wouldn’t. After all, he’s failed them so many times.

When he got the critical point at 19-18, I thought he was one step past the finish line. Lin Dan had made two uncharacteristic errors, driving into the net. It was all set for Chong Wei. He just had to stay in the point like he’d done all through the set; stay patient and wait for his chance.

After an exchange, Lin Dan sent the shuttle high to Chong Wei’s baseline. Incredibly, the Malaysian, as an afterthought, let it fall. What on earth was he thinking? To me, that was the moment that sealed his fate. He was hoping for the shuttle to fall outside. It didn’t. Lin Dan was at 19-all. Three points went by in a flash. Lin Dan was running all around the arena, armsoutstretched.

Chong Wei blew it. It requires courage to play in a final and take it as far as he’d taken it, but when people ask what Lin Dan has that Chong Wei hasn’t, the answer is obvious. Chong Wei wasn’t brave enough when he needed to; he never truly believed he could beat Lin Dan. Just as he had blown two match points in the World Championships final last year, he had lost froma winning position. China can rejoice. Somehow the world doesn’t quite measure up to its badminton heroes.