The first medal of the Beijing Olympic badminton tournament went to third seeds Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen from China who beat Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna from Japan 21-17, 21-10 in the bronze medal match of women's doubles?in Beijing?Friday.

Wei Yili/Zhang Yawen (L) of China celebrate the victory over Miyuki Maeda/Satoko Suetsuna of Japan after the women's doubles bronze medal match of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games badminton event in Beijing, China, Aug. 15, 2008. Wei Yili/Zhang Yawen beat Miyuki Maeda/Satoko Suetsuna 2-0 and claimed the bronze.[Zhang Chen/Xinhua]

The Japanese pair who stunned top seeds Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen in the quarterfinals exhibited their perseverance in the first game, leading the score at 17-14.

After that, however, they apparently lost their stamina and yielded the rest seven points to the Chinese pair, and posed little challenge to them in the second game.

In the semifinals, Wei and Zhang lost a Chinese derby to their compatriots Du Jing and Yu Yang, the second seeds at the tournament, while Maeda and Suetsuna were downed by No. 4 seeds Lee Kyung-won and Lee Hyo Jung from South Korea.

Wei Yili, who failed to win a bronze medal final with her then partner Zhao Tingting at Athens Olympics to a South Korean pair, didn't want to lose it again.

"My mother called me last night when I couldn't fall asleep. She told me that you must win the bronze, it's your obligation," said 25-year-old Wei in emotion. "There will be little chance for me to participate in the next Olympics."

24-year-old Zhang, who got some fever after the semifinal, also expressed her desire for retirement after the Olympics. "It is impossible for me to attend the next Olympics."

While the Japanese pair showed their exhilaration on reaching the bronze medal contest.

"We are very happy that we could reach this point and reward the support of our fans," said Maeda.

"I felt proud that I persisted and smiled to the end. I felt proud to stand on the Olympic court," said Suetsuna. "At the end of the match, I said to my partner 'sorry and thank you.'"

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2008)