Chinese shuttler Lin Dan wins fifth All England Open title

Chinese badminton star Lin Dan snatched his fifth title at All England Open on Sunday after his archrival Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia withdrew from the final due to injury.

The glitzy pair both breezed through the tournament all the way to the final without dropping a game. When they marched into the arena, audience seethed, rattling inflatable sticks, waving national flags and shouting their names.

Dubbed the "dream final", or confrontation between giants, Lin and Lee proved their capacity in the first game when these world top shuttlers tied for several times, from 1-1 to 19-19. Slipped down for a few times, they tried their best not to make mistakes while lashing out swift killing smashes. With crowds holding their breath, their point differences never exceeded four.

When it came to the end of the match, the World No. 1 Lee lapsed by striking the ball out of bounds. The left-handed Lin gained a temporary lead.

In the second game, the second-seeded Lin maintained his momentum by dominating the field 3-0 and 6-2, before Lee, the defending champion who was seeking a hat trick at All England Open, decided to quit.

"I have my left shoulder injured on Friday," said the regretful Lee. "Inspite of the injury, I still wanted to get the trophy so I persisted till today. But my opponent now is Lin who is too hard to beat. Considering the upcoming Olympics, I made this hard decision."

Lin showed his understanding. "It is a pity but I understand that to him, Olympics could be more important," said the 29-year- old badminton icon. "I hope he could recover quickly."