Every match has a winner.

It was just one shot, which went across the back line of the court. But because it was the match point, fate became different for those at two sides of the net.

Chinese badminton star Lin Dan beats his arch-rival Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia 2-1 after dropping a game, and wins the gold medal in men's singles Sunday afternoon in the Wembley Arena. He is the first shuttler to defend his Olympic title in the event.

The word "heart-stirring" was not enough to describe how fierce the competition was, as they were both best shuttlers in an era, topping the world rankings alternatively.

Lin didn't seem to be in the form in the first game, lashing the shuttlecock out of the court for at least nine times and delivering at least five returns into the net.

Lee, the No. 1 seed, changed his direction abruptly, posing threats to the Beijing Olympic champion with diagonal smashes. With a lapse of Lin, the set concluded 15-21.

Beginning of the second game saw the duo locked in a tug of war, before Lin began pulling ahead after a long exchange and finished the set quickly with a drop shot 21-10.

Atmosphere became strained in the decider, when shots from both players became faster and the pair tumbled sometimes for a retrieval. Even the umpire began making mistakes and corrected after being challenged by Lin.

Their scores tied from 1-1 to 19-19. Crowd cheered and waved national flags. But while they were playing, every one was holding their breath, with only sound of the shuttlecock hitting the racket. At this time each tiny lapse could be fatal.

Lee broke the ice first by making a mistake to send the bird into the net, and then stroke the last shot out of the court. 21-19. The audiences seethed with excitement.

The overjoyed Lin, 29, rushed around the arena for celebration, while his rival sat on the court sobbing. Then the gold medalist returned to hug Lee.

The bronze medal was snatched by another Chinese shuttler Chen Long.