Third in the medals table, China faces worst haul since 1996

By Brenda Goh RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Heavy defeats in sports dominated by China in previous Olympics have left the country languishing in an unfamiliar third place in the medals table, with some predicting that Rio 2016 could see the country's worst haul since 1996. Chinese athletes have so far failed to defend their gold medals in sports from badminton to diving, being unceremoniously kicked out at early stages or having to make do with silver or bronze, leading the country to rank behind t