Lin Dan beats Chong Wei for 5th All England title

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Lin Dan beats Chong Wei for 5th All England title

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Lin Dan won the All England Open title when Lee Chong Wei retired with a shoulder injury.

12 March,2012 04:00 am

Lin Dan won a record fifth All England Open badminton title in anticlimactic fashion when defending champion Lee Chong Wei retired with a shoulder injury in the final on Sunday.Lin was leading 21-19, 6-2 after 31 minutes when Chong Wei summoned the medical trainer for a third time and quit, holding his right playing shoulder. He said it was sore when he woke on Friday after sleeping awkwardly on it. Even though he still reached the final, he considered not playing his great rival of the past decade but didnt want to disappoint the fans.I am pretty disappointed but I couldnt risk continuing, he said. I dont want to push myself too much in this Olympic year.Lin became the first man in the 33-year Open era to win five All Englands, adding to titles in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009. In the post-war era, only Rudy Hartono, eight in the 1960-70s, and Erland Kops, seven in the 1960s, have more mens titles in the worlds oldest tournament, when it was regarded as the unofficial world championship.The all-Chinese womens final was also a surprise, as Li Xuerui stunned world champion Wang Yihan 21-13, 21-19 to win her first All England title.