Sunday, August 17th, 2008 |
I sat still in front of the television at 8:48pm sharp, waiting for the commencement of the Beijing Olympics 2008 Badminton Men’s Singles Final match between Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan. But RTM1’s Hasbullah Awang just couldn’t stop talking about Lee, Lin and the glorious history of badminton in the Olympics. While Hasbullah was reading off slides/websites/tables off his laptop, I was secretly hoping that Lee could deliver Malaysia’s first ever gold medal in the Olympics, despite telling friends that Lin Dan will definitely win the match.
But it was just not meant to be for Lee. He suffered a terrible loss against the Chinese player in approximately 40 minutes. He even trailed 8 points right in the beginning of the second set! Everything seemed so wrong in a match that seemed so fitting for a gold medal match. Halfway in the second set, when Lin Dan was only 11 points into the game, I started to send text messages to some people congratulating Malaysia for getting the first silver medal in Beijing.
Don’t be mistaken, I am proud for a fellow countryman to win a medal at the Olympics. It’s just that, for a gold medal match, I actually expected more from Lee. The match became so lopsided when Lin Dan practically steamrolled Lee Chong Wei in the second set. The gap between the world’s top ranked player and the world’s second ranked player couldn’t be any wider.
When Lin Dan clinched the winning point, he roared in celebration before saluting the crowd for their support. Throughout the match the crowd could be heard cheering for Lin Dan. There were one or two brave souls who tried to garner support for Lee Chong Wei, by shouting his name from the stands, but their efforts were wasted as the rest of the Malaysian supporters didn’t follow suit.
Now that the badminton matches are all finished, I think the next international events are the Chinese Taipei Open and the Japan Open. I hope Malaysia will send young players to gain more exposure in preparation for the future. Who knows, we might see another Lee Chong Wei or Rashid Sidek (Could it be Tan Chun Seang?) to go for gold in London 2012. Malaysia Boleh!
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Sunday, May 18th, 2008 |
People are singing two different tones. While one half claim that China should dominate the final due to their superiority, the other half are rooting for South Korea to bring home their first ever Thomas Cup. The odds are that either China or Korea would go away with a slim win. A 3-2 win to either side would be fair for the players and the fans. All players will get a chance to play while the fans will be treated to an exciting Final.
To be honest I’ll be supporting the Koreans, as it is high time to break the tradition of having only 3 countries win the Thomas Cup. Since the start of the Thomas Cup, only Indonesia, China and Malaysia have succeeded in lifting the trophy. This goes to say that the sport has been dominated in Asia for ages. When Denmark suddenly emerged as a badminton powerhouse from Europe, I thought they could break the dominance and win the Thomas Cup for at least once. But they didn’t, and their better players are retiring after the Olympic Games. Now the spotlight is on South Korea, and I hope they can deliver against the defending Champions.
I know some people might be unsatisfied by the way Korea carried themselves into the Final. They lost their group matches on purpose to gain an easier route to the Final, beating Denmark and Indonesia along the way instead of going head-to-head with China in a possible semifinal. Actually I think this is a smart move by the Korean camp. By fielding scratch players and not playing to win, they are actually resting their best players while having fun. I guess we only have the system to blame, not the team.
Before the competition I have predicted China as winners of Thomas Cup 2008. However, during the course of the competition we have seen some inconsistency of the players and some smart strategy from the Koreans. If the Koreans hadn’t screwed their group matches, my prediction would have come true.
Here’s a brief prediction of what might happen.
Men’s Singles 1
Lin Dan vs Park Sung Hwan
In his previous semifinal match against Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan exposed himself to a style of play that could easily defeat him as long as the opponent keeps his attacking style at bay. I’m not sure if Park Sung Hwan would deploy the same strategy against Lin Dan, but Park has a good record against Lin Dan and could just tip the odds a bit by scoring Korea’s first point. However, due to Lin Dan’s temperamental attitude, he will never want to lose two matches in a roll. Expect Lin Dan to smash his way pass Park.
Men’s Doubles 1
Cai Yun/Fu Hai Feng vs Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae
It is interesting to see matured veterans Cai/Fu taking on prodigies Jung/Lee. The word on the street is that Korea will bag the points here. The Chinese pair has been off form of late, and the Koreans will be taking full advantage of this.
Men’s Singles 2
Bao Chun Lai vs Lee Hyun Il
Bao played well in the semifinals against an aging Wong Choong Hann of Malaysia, but I’m not sure if he will be good enough to hack his way pass Lee. Lee, on the other hand, has been playing really well. I think the Koreans will grab a temporary lead here with yet another point in men’s singles.
Men’s Doubles 2
Guo Zhen Dong/Xie Zhong Bo vs Lee Jae Jin/Hwang Ji Man
Sorry, China. I believe that the Chinese are lacking in quality to deny Korea their winning point. I just don’t see the Chinese pair get pass the Koreans in this match.
There should be no need to play the third singles as Korea would have won 3-1. If under any circumstances should the match be played, I believe the Koreans will clinch the winning point as well. Chen Jin is rumoured to be injured, and Chen Yu will be replacing him in the third singles game. Korea’s Shon Seong Mo should win this game easily.
GO KOREA!
UPDATE: China won 3-1 instead. Lee Hyun Il should have won, but ran out of stamina at the second game. Tough luck.
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