Olympics: Saina Nehwal bags bronze after injured Wang bows out

London: Saina Nehwal won India its third medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, after being declared the winner in the women's badminton play-off for the bronze medal after her Chinese opponent Wang Xin withdrew with an injured knee.

Wang, the World No. 2, won the first game despite the injury she suffered at the end of the first game. She won the first game 21-18, but before claiming the final point, she strained her knee. Wang received medical attention before claiming the game, but broke down soon into the second game – with the score 1-0 in her favour - before she hobbled off the court.

The fourth seeded Indian had saved four game points in a dramatic fightback in the first game and was 18-20 when left-handed Xin twisted her knee while going for an acrobatic smash from the baseline. She took on-court treatment for the injury after that.

Xin Wang retired from the bronze medal match after winning the first game, whereupon Saina was declared the winner.

However, she was back on the court after wrapping her left knee in bandage and immediately attacked Saina's serve to win the point and the game to be 1-0 up.

But after winning the first point in the second game, Xin could not continue and was wincing in pain before shaking hands with Saina to concede the match and the bronze medal to the 22-year-old Indian ace.

Saina thus became the first Indian badminton player to win a medal at the Olympic Games. She had reached the quarter-finals at the Beijing Games four years ago and lost in the semi-finals in London on Friday to gain a chance to play for the bronze at the Wembley Arena.

With inputs from PTI

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