China's Ding Ning returns the ball against her compatriot Li Xiaoxia during the women's singles gold medal match of table tennis at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)
By Sportswriter Wang Jimin
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Ding Ning edged past teammate and defending champion Li Xiaoxia 4-3 in a blockbuster final to win the women's singles table tennis title and the 10th gold for China at the Rio Games on Wednesday.
Earlier on the day, Xiang Yanmei shrugged off the unexpected neck injury to win the ninth gold for China in the weightlifting women's 69kg category.
Ding, who left the London Games with a silver medal four years ago amid tears, fell on her knees and sobbed into her hands after she sealed the final point against Li.
The two were matched set for set throughout, but Li faded in the final set losing at 11-7.
"I'm so excited, I can't believe I did it. I don't know how to explain my feeling, I feel that I became a lot more mature than four years ago. This is a very tough match, I think Li and I both did well," said Ding.
"In the final set, I played much tougher than my opponent, I am really proud of myself," added Ding.
DPR Korea's Kim Song I, who was playing in her first Olympics, took the bronze with a 4-1 win over Japan's Ai Fukuhara.
The all-Chinese final reflected the country's continued domination in the sport. World number one Liu Shiwen watched the final from the sidelines after failing to be picked for the singles event.
