Date:16/03/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/16/stories/2004031601772100.htm

Sport - Badminton

Dan, Gong Ruina triumph

BIRMINGHAM, MARCH 15. China's Lin Dan won his maiden All England badminton singles title on Sunday, beating 1999 champion Peter Gade of Denmark 9-15, 15-5, 15-8 in a high-class final.

Later, the women's singles title went to former World champion Gong Ruina, who beat defending champion Zhou Mi 11-7, 11-7. It was the seventh time in the last eight years the final had been an all-Chinese affair.

It was another triumph for China but there was controversy later in the women's doubles where one of the Chinese players pulled out with an injury for the second week running against the same opponents.

Lin, 20, the top seed and world number one, struggled to find a rhythm early on but powered through the second set and then led 14-3 in the decider as Gade battled to keep pace.

The Dane managed to stave off one match point and then staged a mini-rally but Lin finished it off in 77 minutes with a trade-mark cross-court smash.

Gade, 27, approaching his best after a serious knee injury kept him out of the sport for over a year, was far from disgraced and both men look to be serious medal contenders at August's Olympics in Athens.

Gade, who lost to Lin at last week's Swiss Open, said: "Of course I am disappointed but I will go away and take what I can from this tournament and use it in my Olympic preparations."

The results (finals):

Men's singles: Lin Dan (Chn) bt Peter Gade (Den) 9-15, 15-5, 15-8.

Men's doubles: Jens Eriksen & Martin Lundgaard Hansen (Den) bt Choong Tan Fook & Lee Wan Wah (Mal) 9-15, 15-13, 15-3.

Women's singles: Gong Ruina (Chn) bt Zhou Mi (Chn) 11-7, 11-7.

Women's doubles: Gao Ling & Huang Sui (Chn) bt Yang Wei & Zhang Jiewen (Chn), walkover.

Mixed doubles: Kim dong-moon & Ra Kyung-min (Kor) bt Kim Yong-hyun & Lee Hyo-Jung (Kor) 15-8, 17-15.