Lin's 38-minute hiding caps disappointing championship for mainland team
China's World Championship campaign ended with a whimper yesterday as top seed Lin Dan was thrashed in the men's singles final by Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat to complete a disappointing tournament for the mainland.
Lin, the world number one, suffered one of the worst drubbings of his career in a surprisingly one-sided final, losing 15-3, 15-7 in 38 minutes at the Arrowhead Pond, as Hidayat proved that his 2004 Olympic Games gold was no flash in the pan.
Although Lin's girlfriend, Xie Xingfang, gave the 23-year-old something to smile about by upsetting top seed and defending champion Zhang Ning earlier in the day, China's medal haul fell far short of pre-tournament expectations.
Chinese badminton officials had talked bullishly of a possible clean sweep of the five golds on offer, but finished with just two, the mainland's lowest gold tally since 1999.
Head coach Li Yongbo played down the significance of his players' failure to win more golds, expressing confidence that China would return stronger than ever.
