Foot blisters affect Chen Long's mobility in Olympic final: coach

TOKYO - Zhang Jun, head coach of Chinese badminton doubles, revealed that two big bleeding blisters on Chen Long's feet affected his mobility on the court when he played Denmark's Victor Axelsen in badminton men's singles final at Tokyo Olympics here on Monday.

"But he did not give up, made utmost efforts, and fought all-out for each and every point," Zhang said.

"In particular, in handling several backcourt balls to his forehand, if Chen was not affected by the blistered feet, he wouldn't have missed the balls," he noted. "The bleeding blisters on his feet did affect his defense."

Defending champion Chen lost to world No 2 Axelsen 21-15, 21-12 to harvest a silver.