Olympic champion Lin Dan had a thrilling preparation for the defence of his title at next year’s Games here when he saved two match points to beat top-seeded Lee Chong Wei in a sensational world championship final on Sunday. The Chinese star held off the challenge of the Malaysian heir apparent by 20-22, 21-14, 23-21 in 81 minutes after trailing 19-20 and 20-21 in the final game of the best contest yet between the two great men’s singles rivals. Lin’s triumph was the highlight of a day in which China again set records, becoming the first nation successfully to defend all five world titles.
