Lee Chong Wei will fight it out for the gold as he finally denies Lin Dan another victory on the big stage! Many wondered would it ever happen, the Malaysian must have had those thoughts creep in too, but he played like a man possessed for it would take no less to defeat the beast that stood on the other side of the court! It has been a privilege covering this game and we will be back for the final on X! 

You can cacth the live action here when the big day rolls around: [Link]

CHONG BREAKS THE CURSE AND SINKS TO HIS KNEES! His head are in his hands and then the fists begin to fly all over! And a wholeseome embrace to cap off an Olympic encounter that would be etched in the hearts of fans for generations to come!

MATCH POINT FOR LEE!

THIS IS OLYMPICS HISTORY RIGHT HERE! Dan goes absolutely berserk to pull off an impossible lift from the net and then defies his own self to keep the shuttle in play from long court, DEUCE! 

BIG GAME DAN IS HERE TO BALL!  

Has Dan delayed the inevitable or is there a comeback for the ages on the card here?

THREE GAME POINTS! The Malaysian contingent is at full volume now as Lee stands at the brink of history!

NOT SO SOON! Dan roars back to keep himself in the game!

Two points from glory for Lee!!!

WE FINALLY HAVE A TWO POINT LEAD! Was this the point that decides the game?

The breaks continue to increase in frequency, this has been one long trek for these two giants of the game! The crowds continue to sing regardless!

Four points separate Lee from victory now but it is bound to be an uphill task

This is Dan time though, and he exalts after his smashing point!

Lee can smell the finals now, every point counts so much here!

The players have a sip and take some dep breaths before we all set to resume!

You probably don't need me to say this anymore but the scores are level AGAIN!

OOF, THAT WAS HIT WITH SOME VENOM! Lee sneaks ahead once more!

AS predictable as a pendulum! Another Dan smash, another levelling of scores!

Lee takes the lead again!

AGGRESSION AT ITS FINEST! Lee nails a smash to take advantage and Dan responds in kind with a slam of his own!

You guessed it, the scores are level againa s Dan sprays one wide!

The crowd is roaring, the players look tense and excited all at once even as the coaches bark out instructions! This is the home stretch now, and it has all the ingredients to be a classic! Who can hold their nerves to come up trumps?

Dan slices an exquisite drop and heads into the break ahead!

THIS IS BREATHTAKING! A quick exchange of drives at the nets gives way to a clearance from Dan, only for Lee to leap into stratosphere and leave his rival with all four limbs on the deck! Dan calls for the court to be cleaned as the two players get a chance to catch their breath!

Dan challenges the call after his drive is called long AND HE IS RIGHT! The closest of calls makes him the first to break into double digits!

This is surely going down to the wire! The exchange of points continue!

The intensity continues to escalate and we are on equal footinga gain!

THAT WENT ON FOREVER! Either player refused to give an inch before Lee's smash proved to be one too many for his Chinese rival to defend!

PURE POWER! Lee dishes out a trademark powerful slam to level the scores while the crowd breaks into chants!

Lee continues to latch onto any loose net shots as he drills another into mid-court to take back serve!

Dan is beginning to enjoy himself out there! The Chinese continues to grow more animated by the second as his tactical brilliance sends him into the lead for the first time in nearly half an hour!

DAN WITH FIRE IN HIS EYES! The Chinese caps off the levelling of scores with a steely stare at the crowd!

A beautiful exchagne of dropshots at the net but it is a sharp drive from Dan that ultimately decides the point!

Dan smiles wryly at the crowd and then at his coaching staff as another unforced error sees the lead grow back out to two points!

Dan ends up on his knees attempting to defend a smash, only for Lee to dispatch the ensuing meek effort! 

These two are going blow for blow! An exquisite drop shot sets up another point for Dan!

A battle of wits ultimately plays out in Dan's favour as Lee sprays his smash long, eliciting a fist pump from his counterpart! Scores level again!

No dominance for the Malaysian this time though as Dan opens his account!

Lee showcases his all-round ability with a perfectly executed drop shot now to take an early lead again!

DRILLED WITH DISDAIN! Lee pounces on a loose shot at the net to rattle one into his rival and begin strong!

As is so often the case, there is little to separate between these two legends of the game! Rio holds its breath and a potential banger awaits! GAME ON!

WHAT A BRILLIANT COMEBACK FROM LEE! It now all boils down to a decisive third game! 

NINE GAME POINTS FOR LEE!

Lee moves tow ithin two of a game victory even though Dan continues to fight with a brilliant cross court lift

The Chinese would beg to differ though as he seizes momentum with two rapid points!

Lee fails to lift a drop shot but it seems to be mere consolation for Dan at this point

Lee steals back the serve after a hattrick of points for his rival and moves closer to levelling mattesr with a perfectly executed long shot!

That is pure class from Dan as a cross-court drop shot leaves Lee stranded in no man's land!

Lee continues to nail his smashes though and the lead is now 12!

AS GOOD AS DROP SHOTS GET! Dan rolls his wrist at the last moment to dent the lead!

A quick first-bump from Dan as he finally breaks through with a drop shot to get the serve back

A clearance from Dan that goes wide, and an action replay makes it a 11 point deficit! The Chinese is clearly disappointed with himself as Game 2 continues to slip from his grasp!

Dan has completely lost the plot here! He sprays one wide and then fails to anticipate Lee's movement as he hops at the net to pounce on the net shot with a ripper! Heading into the brief break, the score reads a lopsided 11-2!

THE LEAD IS UP TO 7! Lee is ona  roll and there are no signs of slowing down!

The crowd gets behind Lee  and the Malaysian capitalizes with two more points, the latter the result of a failed outrageous reverse flick from his rival!

That's as good as drop shots get, Dan doubles his tally!

No time to rest on his laurels though as Lee fires back to take the lea back up to five!

Dan finally breathes a sigh of relief, he is off the mark in Game 2!

FIVE STAR FROM CHONG! What a comeback from the Malaysian!

WHAT A START FOR LEE! Dan heroically leaps off the air and puts everything behind a smash from mid-court but it goes narrowly wide down Chong's backhand and the Chinese is feeling the heat!

THREE ON THE RUN! Dan has no asnwer to Lee's sharp cross-court flick from the net!

That would certainlt help with the confidence! Lee keeps calm to bag the first two points of game two comfortably and is starting to look comfortable here!

Dan will be hoping to retain the momentum while Lee would hope a long conversation with his coach re-inspires his belief! Dan to serve!

PICTURESQUE! Dan seals Game 1 off in style with a riveting smash off the leap as past ghosts return to haunt the Malaysian!

The longest rally of the game so far! The duo exchange a medley of net shots and lifts but a reflex drive from Dan means it is 5 GAME POINTS

Dan inches closer to sealing the first game, albeit Lee takes the shuttle after drilling another one of his fakous smashes

Make that a hattrick of points!

Is there still hope for Lee? His smaash seems to suggest so, as does Dan playing a shot long to make his lead shrink to five!

Another glimpse of Lee at his best with a drive at the net but Dan moves closer to a game victory with two poitns on the trot! 

Lee's fight seems to be wavering as he fails to execute a simple shot to concede another point!

Dan persists though to quickly reisntate his six-point lead and then wins a close challenge to make the lead read seven!

Lee replies in kind with a brilliant cross-court drive and has the shuttle in hand again!

Make that six, courtesy of a ravaging smash from the Chinese maestro!

The lead is back up to five again!

Lee certainly seems to believe the latter as Dan misses an attempted drop shot before asking for a change of shuttle

Dan hits the tape with a gentle drop shot and heads into the first drinks break with a comfortable five point lead! A sign of things to come or an early red herring?

A drop shot of the highest quality from Lee!

Chong breaks the tempo with a quick point but is quickly put on the backfoot once again before Dan delivers a decisve blow  to keep his lead intact!

Dan looks in sensational touch here! A long shot and another one into the net from Chong hands the Chinese a daunting five point lead!

Dan unbelievably holds steady against a barrage of smashes before the Malaysian's drop shot goes awry!

Dan's drop shot earns him a short point but Chong's attacking prowess hand him two quick points to cut the lead down to two!

Dan scrambles to block another powerful smash but Chong thumps the follow-up net shot straight into the net!

A sensational smash from Lee to break off the streak and take back control of the shuttle!

Dan judges Chong's lob to perfection as it goes long to take an early three point-lead!

Lee holdds steady against Dan making him dance around the court but ultimately hits a drive wide! 

Chong can't get to Dan's smash quick enough and the Chinese has advantage again!

Lee immediately strikes back after Dan hits his clearing shot wide! 

Lee has the shuttle in hand and it is take off! And it is Dan who strikes the first blow with a clever net shot!

Another fascinating chapter of the all-consuming rivalry awaits! Lee Chong Wei has had the wood over his Chinese rival but on the big stage, the latter has had the knack of getting by one way or another! Is anotther classic on the cards? Let's find out together!

That is all from the 50m pistol shooting in Rio where a dramatic late turnaround saw Jin pip rival Hoang to the top step of the podium! There is no shortage for action though, with the Indian men's hockey team set to play in a few minutes against defending champions Australia!

Head over here for all the live action: [link]

Jin suddenly finds himself within 0.2 of a gold medal and the pressure is on Hoang! HE MANAGES a meagre 8.5, over a point behind now after JIN GOES FOR 10!

HISTORY!!! A THIRD GOLD IN A ROW FOR THE KOREAN AND A FOURTH OVERALL WHILE SETTING AN OLYMPIC RECORD NO LESS!

FINAL CLASSIFICATION

1. JIN JONGOH (KOR) - 193.7 (GOLD MEDAL)

2. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 191.3 (SILVER MEDAL)

3. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 172.8 (BRONZE MEDAL)

4. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR) - 151 (ELIMINATED)

5. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 129.4 (ELIMINATED)

6. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS) - 111 (ELIMINATED)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 91.4 (ELIMINATED)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

THe penultimate ste of two and a chance to fight for the gold at stake! The bottom two men currently stand level now, that is until Jin's 10.4 blows Kim's 9.2 out of the water! Hoang's lead shrinks but remains helathy despite a 9.4 shot! Kim follows up with a 9.8 and that is bronze confirmed for him after Jin's 

CLASSIFICATION

1. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 174.6

2. JIN JONGOH (KOR) - 174.4 

3. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 172.8 (ELIMINATED)

4. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR) - 151 (ELIMINATED)

5. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 129.4 (ELIMINATED)

6. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS) - 111 (ELIMINATED)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 91.4 (ELIMINATED)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

Folks, we are onto the business end and bronze medal is there for the taking! Han trails by 2.7 points with two shots to come! He shoots an excellent 10.2 to spakr hopes which are quickly doused by Jin's 10.5 effectively sealing at least a bronze! Meanwhile, Hoang consolidates his spot at the top! Jin's 10 ends Han's journey agonizingly shot of a podium spot!

CLASSIFICATION

1. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 156.1

2. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 153.8 

3. JIN JONGOH (KOR) - 153.8

4. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR) - 151 (ELIMINATED)

5. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 129.4 (ELIMINATED)

6. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS) - 111 (ELIMINATED)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 91.4 (ELIMINATED)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

Onto the battle for the top four -- Han shoots an excellent 10.4, Zhiwei the man in fifth presently! His 8.5 practically confirms his elimination, which is then confirmed by Han shooting a 8.2!

CLASSIFICATION

1. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 136.8

2. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 135.3 

3. JIN JONGOH (KOR) - 133.3

4. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR) - 130.6

5. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 129.4 (ELIMINATED)

6. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS) - 111 (ELIMINATED)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 91.4 (ELIMINATED)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

Jin jumps to third with shots of 10.4 and 10.3 in the fourth set of elimination but Gontcharov  remains the man in danger after a 7.8! Wang offers him a chance with 8.7, albeit the Russian fails to capitalize and bows out!

CLASSIFICATION

1. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 78.4

2. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 57.9

3. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS)

4. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 

5. JIN JONGOH (KOR)

6. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS) - 111 (ELIMINATED)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 91.4 (ELIMINATED)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

Kim shakes his head after a 9.3 effort but it nothing compared to Jin's shocking 6.6, putting him on the edge of elimination! However, he can breath a sigh of relief as Kopp is the next to make way in seventh place!

CLASSIFICATION

1. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 78.4

2. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 57.9

3. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS)

4. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 

5. JIN JONGOH (KOR)

6. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 91.4 (ELIMINATED)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

Kim shakes his head after a 9.3 effort but it nothing compared to Jin's shocking 6.6, putting him on the edge of elimination!

We are onto the elimination stage now! Han impresses again with a 10.3 while Pang's struggles end with a horrid 7.3, marking an early exit for one of the early favourites!

CLASSIFICATION

1. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 78.4

2. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 57.9

3. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 56.2

4. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS)

5. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 

6. JIN JONGOH (KOR)

7. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR)

8. PANG WEI (CHI) - 67.2 (ELIMINATED)

Now for the next round of three! Wang begins decently with a 9.1 but Kim goes better with a 9.3! Applause breaks out as Kim huts the BULLSEYE with a 10.9!!! Meanwhile, Jin finishes off the set with a hit in the ring worth 10.1 while Gontcharov ends strong on a 10.2 despite struggling so far!

CLASSIFICATION

1. KIM SONG GUK (PRK) - 60.3

2. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE) - 57.9

3. PAVOL KOPP (SVK) - 56.2

4. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS)

5. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI) - 

6. JIN JONGOH (KOR)

7. PANG WEI (CHI)

8. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR)

Pang matches Hoang who only manages 9 with his next shot. The classification after 3 shots reads as follows:

CLASSIFICATION

1. JIN JONGOH (KOR)

2. PANG WEI (CHI)

3. HAN SEUNGWOO (KOR)

4. VLADIMIR GONTCHAROV (RUS)

5. KIM SONG GUK (PRK)

6. XUAN VINH HOANG (VIE)

7. PAVOL KOPP (SVK)

8. WANG ZHIWEI (CHI)