It was another heartbreak for Malaysia's No 1 – Lee Chong Wei in the Olympic Games when he was beaten in the men's singles final yet again.
And the Malaysian could have probably played his last Olympics without the much sought after gold medal he has been chasing after reaching the final in Beijing (2008), London (2012).
The Rio Olympics was Chong Wei's best chance to land the elusive gold but it turned out to be another major disappointment for the Malaysian after he was beaten 18-21, 18-21 by China's Chen Long.
World champion Chen Long was the second seed in Rio while Chong Wei came to Rio as the World No 1 and top seed.
When Chong Wei beat two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan 15-21, 21-11, 22-20 in Rio in the semi-finals his stakes soared. Chong Wei was beaten by Lin Dan in the Beijing and London Olympics final.
Chen Long defeated Denmark's Viktor Axelsen 21-14, 21-15 in the other semifinal.
A fired up Chen Long took full advantage of Chong Wei's uneasiness at the net plus some erratic smashes that added pressure on his desire to win the gold badly.
Later Chong Wei apologized to the people of Malaysia for not bringing home the gold medal from Rio after winning silvers at the Beijing Olympics and the London Olympics.
A visibly disappointed Chong Wei said: "I gave my best in the final but it is only good for the silver medal. I apologize to the people of Malaysia for not winning the gold medal.
"Chen Long was the better player in the final. He did everything right and I was not able to counter that."
Chong Wei's silver medal was Malaysia's third in badminton in Rio. Malaysia also took the silver in the men's doubles through Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong and in the mixed doubles through Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying.
It was also a disastrous Rio Olympics for Lin Dan. He returned home without a medal to show he lost the bronze medal playoff match to Axelsen. The lanky Dane came back strong after losing the first set to win 15-21, 21-10, 21-17.
RESULTS
MEN'S SINGLES FINAL
Chen Long (Chn) beat Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 21-18, 21-18
Bronze medal playoff
Viktor Axelsen (Den) beat Lin Dan (Chn) 15-21, 21-10, 21-17
