Lee Chong Wei: Down but not out

The Malaysians' heartache continued as they return home empty-handed and still without a World title in any of the disciplines since the tournament's inception back in 1977 but top seed Lee Chong Wei has promised he will be back.

So again, China swept the board at the world championships on finals day on Sunday, winning all five titles for the second year running and for the third occasion in all.

The golden run at the 2011 Yonex BWF World Championships sent a familiar and clear warning to the rest of the world ahead of next year's Olympics which will be held at the same Wembley venue.

Even though, Malaysia did come agonisingly close with world number one Lee Chong Wei who held two match points against old foe Lin Dan (pictured right) only to fall short again, the Chinese edging home on his first match point 20-22 21-14 23-21 to lift his fourth world title.

The match was to be the biggest drama of the finals with an 82-minute marathon that will live long in the sport's annals.

Chong Wei would have been keen to erase the memory of the Beijing Olympic final in 2008 when Lin had swept him aside and repeat some revenge exacted in the All Englands final in March.

And he looked on the way after taking the first game and leading 3-0 in the second.

But Lin, ever the battler and making fewer mistakes, took control in the second to set up an exciting finale. Neck and neck in the final stages, Chong Wei edged to his first match point at 20-19 and then again at 21-20.

But Lin survived and when his turn came Chong Wei (pictured left) found the net and it was all over - to the delight of the large Chinese contingent in the arena and the despair of the Malaysians.

Lin was duly crowned amid emotional scenes and his career head-to-head with Chong Wei now stands at 16-8 in favour of the Chinese number two seed.

Chong Wei later suffered severe cramp and left the arena to rest at his hotel. He said: "It was an honour to play in such a great match but I am obviously disappointed that I couldn't quite get over the finish-line.

"This has been my best world championships to date and I am looking forward to coming back to Wembley next year for the Olympics."

Lin said: "The third game was really emotional. I had to fight hard. On the match points I was just hoping he would make a mistake."        

Malaysian singles coach Tay Seu Bock said: "Chong Wei missed out on the two match points because at the end of the game he still dared to gamble on his strokes but mentally Lin Dan was a little stronger."

Asked what he would be doing after his latest title, Lin said: "I want to go sightseeing now. I have orders to go shopping for clothes for my wife and friends while I am here."

Wang Yihan (pictured right) was winning her first world title and had to overcome a Taiwanese opponent who had become a big hit with media during earlier rounds.

Wang, seeded two, said: "I've played her many times before and know that she can come back so I had to play my best."

Men's doubles winners Fu and Cai were capturing the title for the third year running to go with their initial success in 2006 in Madrid.

Fu said: "Even though we have won a lot of tournaments this year we could not take this for granted."

Cai (pictured left) said, eyeing the Olympics, said: "It's very important to win this tournament and for us to adjust the venue. The playing hall is very good."

Beaten finalist Yoo said: "This was our first match in a big championships like this. They have been to lots and their experience was the difference today."

Top seeds Wang and Yu had got finals day under way with a 40-minute win over their training partners Tian and Zhao,

Said Wang: "We all play together and know each other so well. We all played really well and the last two points were very exciting."

The day ended in disappointment for the home crowd who had thrilled all week to exploits of England's Adcock and Scot Bankier who had put out three seeded couples on the way.

Adcock said after their loss to the top seeded Zhang and Zhao: "It was amazingly tough. We haven't performed as we did in the last couple of days but it's mostly down to them. They are No. 1 for a reason."

Bankier said: They stepped up their game and on the day they were better than us."

All the winners were helped during the afternoon by the increasingly excited Chinese section in the arena.

"We had the support of passionate friends today," said Zhang.

Finals Results

Mixed Doubles
Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (China) beat Chris Adcock-Imogen Bankier (England-Scotland) 21-15 21-7
Men's Singles
Lin Dan (China) beat Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) 20-22 21-14 23-21
Women's Singles
Wang Yihan (China) beat Cheng Shao Chieh (Chinese Taipei) 21-15 21-10
Men's Doubles
Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (China) beat Ko Sung Hyun-Yoo Yeon Seong (Korea) 24-22 21-16
Women's Doubles
Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (China) beat Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (China) 22-20 21-11