The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, August 15) -- Second seeds Du Jing and Yu Yang of China prevailed over fourth seeds Lee Hyo-jung and Lee Kyung-won of the Republic of Korea 21-15, 21-13 to clinch the Women's Doubles gold in the Olympic Badminton tournament on Friday, August 15.
The first game was intense with the two sides trading the lead several times. When the scores were tied at 8-8, Du and Yu went on a 5-0 run to build the lead and took the first game 21-15.
Despite an ankle injury sustained by Lee Kyung-won in the opener, the ROK duo was able to keep the score very close in the second game, going into the technical timeout with an 11-9 advantage. However, they failed to defend their lead and eventually bowed to Du and Yu 21-13.
"The injury is serious and it influenced my performance today." said Lee Kyung-won. "I wanted to play well but it was so painful that I couldn't bear it."
Her partner Lee Hyo-jung put the blame on herself. "I didn't do well enough. There was something wrong with our teamwork. Lee Kyung-won also was injured and I should have covered for her but I didn't do it well enough."
With a Mixed Doubles semifinal coming on Saturday, August 16, Lee Hyo-jung expressed her strong determination to win. "Today I won a silver medal, but for the Mixed Doubles winning the gold medal is my goal."
China and the ROK are traditional Badminton powerhouses. The host country has collected a total of 11 Olympic medals in Women's Doubles, while the ROK has five under its belt.
