British Badminton Duo Take Silver

It was silver for Britain in the badminton mixed doubles, after Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson went agonisingly close to becoming the first Brits ever to take a badminton Olympic gold in a thrilling final.

Emms and Robertson had mixed feelings after the final, having gone much further than they could have expected in the event. After beating the Danes Rikke Olsen and Jonas Rasmussen in the semi-final, they just missed out in the final to defending champions Ling Gou and Jun Zhang and admitted to feeling gutted.

They were blown away in the first set 1-15 but, backed by a large British contingent in the crowd, they fought back well to win the second set 15-12. At one stage they held a healthy 11-8 lead in the final set, but eventually succumbed 12-15. The Chinese pair, who are an item off the court, looked more aggressive and justified the number one seeding they took into the event.

Robertson admitted the Chinese had been slightly more positive in the crucial final rallies, but also said he felt proud of what he had achieved, having started the competiton as number four seeds. "It was such a close final and we were leading in the third game," Robertson told reporters.

"I just think they were a bit more positive right at the end. That was the difference. They came out incredibly fast and blew us off the court," added the 27-year-old. "We did brilliantly to stick in there and fight in the second game. I really think we should have won that but we've got to look back with pride at what we've achieved."

Emms said: "I think we exceeded what we expected to do out here but you go out there and you want to win and there is a gutting feeling when you lose."

The final was not without controversy, with a number of very tight calls provoking angry reactions from both teams - indeed a Chinese appeal midway through the second set saw the umpire overturn a decision made by the line judge, to the evident displeasure of Emms and Robertson.

But it was the defending champions who held their nerve in the tense final stages to retain the gold they took in Sydney four years ago. Denmark's Jens Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager beat compatriots Olsen and Rasmussen in the bronze medal play-off.