Nozomi Okuhara could be awarded the women's singles badminton bronze medal by default, following media reports Thursday that her scheduled opponent for Friday's match at the Rio Olympics has pulled out with a knee injury.
Defending champion Li Xuerui of China strained her left knee in the second set of her 21-14, 21-16 semifinal defeat Thursday to Spain's Carolina Marin and will not be able to make the bronze-medal match, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
Xinhua quoted Chinese head coach Li Yongbo as saying that an examination showed that the player had torn her anterior cruciate ligament and also injured her lateral meniscus.
"She already did a great job in the competition," the coach was quoted as saying.
Okuhara lost 21-19, 21-10 to Pusarla Sindhu of India in her semifinal Thursday.