ATHENS, Greece - China won the gold and silver medals in women’s doubles badminton on Saturday, with top-seeded Zhang Jiewin and Yang Wei beating Huang Sui and Gao Ling in the final match.

The Chinese failed to equal their three-medal sweep in the Sydney Games. Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won beat China’s Zhao Tingting and Wei Yili 10-15, 15-9, 15-7 for the bronze medal.

Zhang and Yang rallied to get the gold medal 7-15, 15-4, 15-8, winning several long, entertaining rallies in the third game — one point went 94 strokes — to pull ahead 7-0.

Huang and Gao got within 7-11, but no closer. Zhang smashed the winning point with an overhead and hugged Yang.

It’s the third Olympic medal for Gao, who won mixed doubles in Sydney and finished second in the women’s doubles with Quin Yiyuan in 2000. Yang won silver in the women’s doubles in Sydney with Huang Nanyan.

Men's singles
Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia stormed to the men’s singles gold medal in Olympic badminton on Saturday, overpowering Shon Seung-moof South Korea, 15-8 and 15-7.

Hidayat sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands after winning the final with a strong forehand smash.

Roared on by hundreds of Indonesian supporters whose cheers filled the Goudi Olympic Hall, Hidayat recovered from a 6-0 deficit to sweep Shon aside in the first game.

The second game followed a similar pattern, Hidayat going 3-0 down before putting 12 points on the board without reply.

Indonesia’s Soni Dwi Kuncoro took bronze earlier in the day by defeating Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 15-11 17-16.

Ahead of the Games, China had been strongly fancied to win the title but their three players, including top seed Lin Dan, made early exits.

Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro won the bronze medal with a victory over Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana.

Kuncoro swept the two games 15-11 and 17-16.

In the first game, it was a battle of runs. Ponsana scored eight straight points at one point, but then Kunkoro responded with a run of seven straight of his won en route to the win.

The second game had an interesting twist. Ponsana led 14-10, and sat at match point in position to force a third game. But the Thai player rallied back to tie the score at 14.

At this point in a game, the first player to 14 chooses whether the game will be decided at the normal 15 points, or rather 17. A player might choose the longer match in attempt to steal back momentum, which is what Ponsana chose on Saturday.

He should have elected to end at 15, though, as he won the next point, which would have forced a game three. Instead, the game continued, was tied again at 16, and then decided when Ponsana returned a Kuncoro serve out of bounds. The bronze is Indonesia's second of the Athens badminton competition.

Badminton - Women's Doubles (medals: Aug. 21st) Medal Athlete Country Result Gold Zhang Jiewen, Yang Wei China 7-15, 15-4, 15-8 Silver Huang Sui, Gao Ling China Bronze Ra Kyung-min, Lee Kyung-won South Korea 10-15, 15-9, 15-7 NBCO: Schedules, preliminary result and complete final results

MORE FROM BADMINTON

China rolls in women's doubles

China rolls in women's doubles S. Korea takes gold and silver in men's doubles China bounces back to win badminton medals NBCO: Inside the sport Medal winners   Add Badminton headlines to your news reader: