Denmark settles for silver after wild Japan rally
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 18 Aug, 2016 CET.
Updated: Thu 18 Aug 2016 20:12 CET
Shuttlers Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi dramatically won Olympic gold for Japan in the women's badminton doubles at the Rio Games on Thursday.
The Japanese duo sensationally came from behind to defeat Denmark's Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 18-21, 21-9, 21-19 in a thrilling encounter.
The match was locked at 16-16 in the final game as the Danes and Japanese traded point for point. Denmark raced ahead to 19-16 and looked like they were heading for victory, only to be stunned by their counterparts.
Japan won four points on the bounce to go 20-16 ahead, eventually edging the game by just two points.
"We gave it everything we had. I just wish we could turn back time to when it was 19-16, because that's when it went too quick for us," a disappointed Pedersen told TV2 Sport.
Danish silver medallists Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl stand together on the podium. Photo: REUTERS/Ruben Sprich/Scanpix
Earlier in the day South Koreans Jung Kyung-Eun and Shin Seung-Chan had defeated China's Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang to claim bronze.
Pedersen and Juhl's silver was Denmark's eleventh medal at the Rio Games.
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The Japanese duo sensationally came from behind to defeat Denmark's Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 18-21, 21-9, 21-19 in a thrilling encounter.
The match was locked at 16-16 in the final game as the Danes and Japanese traded point for point. Denmark raced ahead to 19-16 and looked like they were heading for victory, only to be stunned by their counterparts.
Japan won four points on the bounce to go 20-16 ahead, eventually edging the game by just two points.
"We gave it everything we had. I just wish we could turn back time to when it was 19-16, because that's when it went too quick for us," a disappointed Pedersen told TV2 Sport.
Danish silver medallists Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl stand together on the podium. Photo: REUTERS/Ruben Sprich/Scanpix
Earlier in the day South Koreans Jung Kyung-Eun and Shin Seung-Chan had defeated China's Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang to claim bronze.
Pedersen and Juhl's silver was Denmark's eleventh medal at the Rio Games.
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