Guo Yue of China celebrates a point during the women's singles bronze medal match of Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event against Li Jia Wei of Singapore in Beijing, China, Aug. 22, 2008. Guo won the match 4-2 and grabbed the bronze medal. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Guo Yue won a bronze medal in the Olympic women's singles table tennis competition here Friday, beating Singapore's Li Jia Wei 4-2.

    The color of the medal is a big disappointment for the reigning world champion who has rarely finished lower than second in international singles tournaments in the last two years.

    Guo failed to reach the final because of her loss to China's "Big Sister" Wang Nan, who is going to retire and determined to win as much as possible at her last Olympic Games.

    But Guo won the bronze medal contest 11-6, 14-12, 9-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-4, shattering Li's hope of winning a second medal at the Beijing Olympics.

    "Although I failed to win the most beautiful gold medal, the bronze is also very significant for me," Guo said. "After the loss in the morning, my mind was in a mess. But I managed to calm down and forget the morning match and focus on one in the evening."

    "When the match was at 2-2, my coach told me to stop thinking about the final result, but to think about each point in detail," she added.

    "It's a pity I lost. I really wanted to win a singles medal because the whole Singapore is cheering for me," Li said, with tears running down her cheeks.

    "But I tried my best and it's an achievement for me to finish in the top four, with all the other three being Chinese players," she said.

    The Beijing-born Li put up a brave fight until her semifinal loss to former schoolmate Zhang Yining, the world's top-ranked player and defending gold medalist.

    Li and two other former Chinese won a team silver, which is the first Olympic medal for Singapore in 48 years.

    She finished fourth in the Athens singles competition and failed to reach the last eight in the doubles.

    Li and Zhang attended the same school in Beijing between 1986-96. Li went to Singapore in 1996 under the foreign recruitment scheme of the Singapore Table Tennis Association and gained Singaporean citizenship in 1999. 

Guo Yue of China returns the ball during the women's singles bronze medal match of Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event against Li Jia Wei of Singapore in Beijing, China, Aug. 22, 2008. Guo won the match 4-2 and grabbed the bronze medal. (Xinhua/Xu Jiajun) Photo Gallery>>>