On Saturday, Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei prevented an all-Indian men's singles clash by getting the better of HS Prannoy 21-16 9-21 21-14 in the semifinal of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Had Prannoy won, he would've faced compatriot Kidambi Srikanth in the gold medal match. The great Lee Chong Wei made sure that wasn't to happen and, of course, went on to clinch the gold medal himself on Sunday.
Prannoy eventually lost to Ouseph 21-17 23-25 9-21 in the bronze medal match that last 65 minutes. The Indian won the first game but could not kill the match in the second. Ouseph won the second game in a long-drawn deuce game. Prannoy did not give much fight in the third game which he lost 9-21 to miss the bronze.
On Sunday, Prannoy took to social media to share a heartfelt message with his followers. He wrote that he knows he 'choked' and would surely improve in the future.
"My first Commonwealth Games came to an end last night!! Heart breaking for me personally as I had a big chance for a medal but was simply not good enough last night against both LCW and Rajiv!!" Prannoy wrote in a note he shared on Twitter. "Once again I choked when it mattered and hope I can come back on a better note ASAP! Apologies to all the fans who were expecting me to return back with a medal , I guarantee you all there is something bigger in stock for me. Thanks for all the support!!! Cheers."
Here's his tweet
Newly-crowned World No.1 Kidambi Srikanth let slip the early advantage to settle for a silver medal in the 21st Commonwealth Games, going down to Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles summit clash on Sunday.
Srikanth had beaten Lee in the mixed team championships final earlier in the Games but the former world number one rallied for a 19-21 21-14 21-14 triumph on Sunday for his third individual CWG gold. He has two more mixed team gold medals to his credit.
A decade older than the Indian, Lee kept his best for the last, showing off the legendary reflexes that have earned him cult status in international badminton.
(Inputs from PTI)
