Chinese Taipei shuttlers defend men's doubles title
Chinese Taipei badminton stars Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin successfully defended their men's doubles title on Sunday, defeating China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 2-1 in a thrilling final at the Paris Olympics. The Chinese Taipei pair, unseeded at the tournament, jumped out to a 5-2 lead and maintained a three-point edge until midway through the first game against Liang and Wang, ranked number one in the world.  The two sides then traded 4-0 runs, before Chinese Taipei closed on a high to take the first game 21-17. Lee and Wang kept it going to start the second game, taking an early 4-1 lead.  However, Team China refused to give in, tying the score on several occasions before winning the game 21-18 to force a decider. The first part of the final game was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than two and Chinese Taipei taking a 11-10 lead into the break. With a 12-11 edge, Chinese Taipei's Wang managed to save a couple of smashes from the floor before eventually conceding the point. While the younger Liang and Wang shared a few smiles during breaks in the tight moments, they made several key mistakes, with Wang being called for a service violation that gave the Chinese Taipei pair a 16-13 advantage. Team China managed to close the gap to 18-19, before the defending champions took control late to win the third game, 21-19.  Lee, who announced before the tournament his plans to retire next month after the Taipei Open, slumped to the floor alongside Wang in celebration. The two are the only badminton players from Chinese Taipei to ever win Olympic gold medals.