Badminton

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:21:00 +0000

Badminton: Markis and Hendra End 3-Year Title Drough Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan screamed in relief after winning the Singapore Open Super Series men’s doubles final on Sunday. They embraced each other after their 22-20, 11-21, 21-6 defeat of second-seeded Ko Sung-hyun and Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korea in the men’s doubles final at Singapore Indoor Stadium. For Markis and Hendra, former world champions and the 2008 Olympic gold medalists, the victory ended a three-year title drought that started in 2009 when they beat Malaysian top pair Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in the French Open Super Series. “This is incredible. This means that we can still compete against the world’s best and win,” Markis said in a text message on Sunday. “Our only regret is, why only now? Why didn’t we play like this since last year so that we would probably have qualified for the Olympics?” The pair, now ranked No. 8 in the world, had struggled with their game since 2008, when they won four Super Series and took the Olympic gold medal in Beijing. In 2009, they won just two titles before the long drought began. It was the darkest three years of the pair’s career. Their biggest achievement during the period was winning the gold medal at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games. The long stretch of poor play caused them to miss out on this year’s Olympics in London, where they would have had the chance to defend their gold medal. Only the top eight doubles teams in the Badminton World Federation rankings were admitted to the competition, and they were ninth when the cut was made on May 3. “We regret that, but now we’re looking forward to our future,” Hendra said. Their rejuvenation started with a title in the second-tier Australian Open Grand Prix Gold in Sydney in April. Then they made the semifinals of the Indonesian Open — their first semifinal in a major tournament since last year’s Japan Open — before falling to eventual winners Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung of South Korea. “Now we have our confidence back,” Markis said. Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand took the men’s singles title by edging out China’s Wang Zhengming 21-18, 21-19 in the final. Germany’s Juliane Schenk took her maiden Super Series trophy with a 21-11, 26-24 defeat of Taiwan’s Cheng Shao-chieh in the women’s singles final. Bao Yixin and Zhong Qianxin of China won in women’s doubles with a 21-12, 21-17 defeat of Taiwan’s Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin, while Taiwan’s Chen Hung-ling and Cheng Wen-hsing beat Shintaro Ikeda and Reiko Shiota of Japan 21-17, 21-11 for the mixed doubles title.

Tat Meng hopes Mew Choo will make it to All-England semi-finals

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:31:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s singles coach Wong Tat Meng would have already left to take up a new coaching post in Indonesia when Wong Mew Choo plays in the All-England badminton championships in Birmingham next week.

But deep in his heart, there is the hope that Mew Choo will be able to return from the prestigious tournament with her head held high.

Mew Choo, ranked 25th in the world, will play in the All-England with no major injury problems and there is hope that she can achieve a breakthrough by reaching the semi-finals.

Mew Choo will open her campaign against third seed Wang Xin of China, whom she lost to in the second round of the Malaysian Open in January.

Also in her path and a place in the semi-finals are two other Chinese – sixth seed Jiang Yanjiao and Lu Lan.

“I will not be joining her for the All-England but I hope she can dish out something good there,” said Tat Meng.

“We have actually prepared her well this time. Her game has also changed. We have trained her to be stronger in front-court attacks by drilling on certain strokes. It will make her game not so predictable to her opponents.

“Mew Choo is heading in the right direction this year. If her knees don’t give her any problems, I think she will progress well. It is good to see her coming back again.”

Tat Meng will, of course, find satisfaction if Mew Choo manages to make the climb back to the top 10 bracket.

Tat Meng is leaving the national women’s singles squad after a five-year stint to join Chinese coach Li Mao as part of the Indonesian coaching set-up.

The 44-year-old will be the first Malaysian to coach the Indonesian national team and he said that the chance to take up a posting outside the country was too good to resist.

“It’s not just the money but I also want to get a new experience. I have never coached outside Malaysia before and I want to gain more experience,” he said.

“It will be worked out when I arrive there but I guess I will be helping the players to achieve the target of qualifying for the London Olympics next year as what I will still have to do if I remain in Malaysia,” he said.

Mew Choo, who chalked up a sensational win at the 2007 China Open under the guidance of Tat Meng, is not likely to be put under the charge of either Rashid Sidek or Hendrawan, who have their hands full handling the men’s back-up squad.

It is likely that the BAM will get a coach from Indonesia or China to handle the women’s singles squad.

Coach Tat Meng leaves BAM to join Indonesian team

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:16:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coach Misbun Sidek quit the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) recently. His controversial resignation has yet to be resolved.

Now another singles coach – Wong Tat Meng – is set to leave.

Tat Meng, who is currently coaching the women’s singles squad, is leaving BAM by the end of next month to take up a coaching offer with the Indonesian national team.

The 44-year-old coach, who was best known for guiding Wong Mew Choo to a sensational victory in the 2007 China Open, will join former national singles coach Li Mao of China at the national training centre in Cipayung there.

Goodbye: Wong Tat Meng has handed in his resignation to BAM.

Tat Meng, who has served as the national team coach since 2006, is now set to become the first Malaysian to coach in Indonesia at the national level and BAM secretary Ng Chin Chai said his resignation should be viewed positively.

“Tat Meng wanted to move to greener pastures and he has submitted his resignation letter.

“Tat Meng will be around until end of March and will prepare Mew Choo for the All-England next month.

“It should be looked at positively as he can come back one day and become a better coach as what Tan Kim Her did,” said Chin Chai, referring to Kim Her, who was the first coach to venture outside the country to take up stints in South Korea and England before returning to the BAM fold.

Tat Meng, who quit as a player after failing to make the successful 1992 Thomas Cup squad, got his biggest break as a coach when he was named as the replacement for Li Mao ahead of the more famous Sidek brothers – Misbun and Rashid after the Chinese quit in early 2007.

It has not been decided yet as to who will replace Tat Meng as Chin Chai said they will keep their options open.

“We may have a reshuffle or we may look for a new coach outside,” said Chin Chai, who is also the coaching and training committee chairman.

The coaching and training committee meeting yesterday also decided that Lee Chong Wei and Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will be exempted from the Indonesia SEA Games campaign at the end of this year.

“The Road to London Olympics campaign should be their main priority as Chong Wei and Kien Keat-Boon Heong should have no problems qualifying.

“We will also decide later whether the women’s doubles pair Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty will be exempted as well as much will depend on whether they have enough points to qualify for the London Olympics. It is easier for the singles players to qualify as it is a field of 32 compared to the doubles, which has only for 16 pairs,” he said.

Meanwhile, former national doubles pair Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen will be allowed to train with the national doubles squad in BAM twice a week.

Chin Chai said they have also agreed to take in part-time paid sparring partners.

“The women’s squad complained of lack of competitive sparring partners.

“The mix doubles department have also requested for Razif Latif-Chow Pak Chuu to come in as sparring partners.”

Kien Keat: I’ll be ready for PROTON Malaysia Open

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 11:03:00 +0000

Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat, who forms one half of a deadly partnership with Tan Boon Heong, said he is ready to defend his PROTON Malaysia Open title which starts at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil, on Wednesday. The PROTON Malaysia Open is the season opening tournament of the 2011 OSIM BWF World Superseries.

Kien Keat injured his elbow while playing in the VICTOR BWF Super Series Finals 2010 in Chinese Taipei last week and there was speculation he may have to pull out of his home event which he and Boon Heong have won twice.

However, the 2006 Asian Games gold medallist said that while he is still undergoing therapy for his injured elbow, there is nothing to stop him from defending his title.

“There is still a week to go before the start of the tournament and I will be fine by then,” said Kien Keat , who on Thursday, received the Olympic Council of Malaysia-100PLUS Outdo Yourself Award for winning three badminton gold medals – team, men’s doubles and mixed doubles – at last year’s Commonwealth Games.

Kien Keat helped Malaysia win the team event by beating hosts India. He then partnered Chin Eei Hui in the mixed doubles and the Malaysian pair defeated England’s Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork 22-20, 21-12 in the final.

Later, Kien Keat would once again deny Robertson the chance of a gold medal when he and Boon Heong defeated Robertson-Anthony Clark 21-19, 21-14 to take home the men’s doubles crown.

“This award is a good start to the new year and is the perfect motivation for the Malaysia Open,” said Kien Keat.

Asked about the opening round clash with China’s Hong Wei-Shen Ye, the former All-England winner said he is confident of a good start.

The Malaysians are the top seeds in the absence of world No. 1s Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe, who captured their first ever VICTOR BWF Super Series Finals title last weekend.

Badminton Racket Basics

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:18:00 +0000

Badminton rackets can be expensive so it would be wise to know the basics before you buy. If you are a novice player you do not need to spend a lot on a racket. A less expensive badminton racket will do just fine. Aim to spend about £30 maximum. There are many good rackets around at this price.

There are some basic fundamentals to look for in any badminton racket, the most important are the weight, the balance, the head shape, the flexibility and the grip size.

Most racquets weigh between 80-100 grams. More weight should give you extra power, but less maneuverability. A heavy racquet will be more difficult to swing through the air, but it will be more stable than a lighter racket. A lighter racket will offer more swing speed and maneuverability, at the cost of power and stability. The lightest badminton racket i have come across is the Karakal SL-70 and it weighs just 70 grams. This is the weight before you add the strings and your overgrip, so you need to be aware of this.

Yonex are the most popular badminton racket manufacturer and have their own unique system for determining the weight, the U system, which ranges from U= 95-100g all the way to 4U= 80-84g. Various racket makers have their own way of doing things and will be different to Yonex. A novice player should not bother about the weight so much, it is far more important to concentrate on your badminton skills.

The balance of a badminton racket refers to just that. There are three kinds, head heavy, head light, and evenly balanced. Head heavy rackets offer more weight at the top of the swing, giving more power and stability on contact with the shuttle. Head light rackets will enable you to swing the racket quicker, but less weight means less power and stability. Even balanced rackets give you a neutral feel.

The classic head shape is usually an oval shape, but you can also buy isometric head shapes. The isometric head is more square, which creates a larger sweet spot. If you can hit the shuttle in the middle of the racket head you will be hitting the sweet spot. With an enlarged sweet spot you will have more chance of getting power from off centre shots. For a novice this could be a useful advantage

The flexibility of the racket relates to how much flex there is. A stiff racquet will have less flexibility and as such it is unforgiving for a beginner. A flexible racket will obviously have more flex and this will give a beginner a bit more power, as you will have a kind of sling shot effect, but the downside is you will have less control. You should only buy a stiff flex racket when your technique is up to scratch, otherwise you may get shoulder problems, as the vibration from hitting the shuttle travels through your arm and into your shoulder joints.

Grip sizes also come with different systems. Yonex badminton have their G system, which ranges from G2 (the largest)to G5 (the smallest). Other brands use small, medium and large. Your grip size is your own personal preference, everyone is different.

These are the badminton racket basics and i hope this will help you when you choose your next racket.

Lee Chong Wei to quit after 2012 Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:22:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR — World number-one Lee Chong Wei plans to retire in 2012, according to media reports Wednesday which said the badminton champ vowed to win the World and Olympic titles before bowing out.

The 27-year-old Malaysian, who has topped the rankings since 2008, said he hoped to maintain top spot until he steps down after the 2012 London Olympics.

"I am close to the end of my playing career and I don't want to have any regrets after I retire, like not winning a single major title despite being the world number-one," Lee was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times.

"I have another three chances to win the World Championship but only one opportunity in the Olympic Games.

"This is why I have to be in my best form for the 2012 London Olympics. It will be my toughest challenge," said the player, who has won 24 career titles.

Lee, who was victorious in the recent Korean and Malaysian Open tournaments, has yet to win a major despite being the world's top player. Major titles include the All-England, World Championships and an Olympic gold medal.

The Malaysian champ said he has not given much thought about his plan after retirement but he is considering setting up an academy for young players.

"I am so happy to be the icon to inspire many youngsters here. If I can succeed as a badminton player, they can too," he told the Star newspaper.

"I have sacrificed a lot but I do not plan to leave the (national) team in the lurch. I will encourage the back-up shuttlers," he said.

Chong Wei and Koo-Tan will find the going tough

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:14:00 +0000

SHAH ALAM: The reigns of Lee Chong Wei and Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong as the men’s singles and doubles world No. 1 respectively will be put under test when they compete at the Malaysian Open badminton championships, which will be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Jan 19-24.

All the top 30 singles players, including Olympic and world champion Lin Dan, have confirmed participation as the championships serve the opportunity to test the conditions at a venue, which will also stage the Thomas Cup Finals in May.

And the presence of the top Chinese shuttlers, who were absent from the last two editions, will make it tough for Chong Wei to win a sixth Malaysian Open title. He can only expect an easy match against Rajiv Ouseph of England in the first round.
Number one: (from right) Badminton World Federation CEO Thomas Lund, Malaysian Open organising chairman Datuk Al-Amin Majid and Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal posing together in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday after announcing Proton as the title sponsor.

In the draw made yesterday for the second Super Series event of the year, Chong Wei is in the same quarter as South Korean Park Sung-hwan, whom he beat in the final last year, and fifth seed Chen Jin of China.

The other quarter in the same half has Indonesia’s former Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat, China’s Bao Chunlai and Copenhagen Masters winner Jan Jorgensen of Denmark.

The other half of the draw together with Lin Dan are top Dane Peter-Gade Christensen and Indonesians Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.

“The return of the Chinese players makes it much tougher for Chong Wei to live up to the expectations of the home fans,” said national singles chief coach Rashid Sidek.

“However, the good news is he has fully recovered from a knee injury and he is coping well in training. He has always done well on home ground and I hope he can reach the final again.”

Wong Choong Hann and Mohd Hafiz Hashim are the two other Malaysians in the men’s singles main draw but they will be hard-pressed to get past the early rounds.

Choong Hann will play against Wacha Przemyslaw of Poland in the first round and the winner will get a probable second round match against Simon, who won the gold medal in the Laos SEA Games.

Hafiz has drawn Hsieh Yu-hsin of Taiwan in the opening round and a second-round match will likely be against 2007 champion Christensen.

National elite back-up shuttler Liew Daren, a quarter-finalist last year, will have to play in the qualifying rounds along with Kuan Beng Hong, Chong Wei Feng, Tan Chun Seang, Lee Tsuen Seng and Sairul Amar Ayob.

Top seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong will find it tough to regain the Malaysian Open title they last won in 2007 as they have been drawn in the same half as Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan. The Indonesians were the winners over Kien Keat-Boon Heong in the final of the SEA Games in Vientiane last month.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong open their campaign against another Indonesian pair, Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan.

“We normally play better in our second tournament back-to-back but we are skipping the Korea Open next week, so we have to see how things goes. We will aim to get into at least the semi-finals,” said Kien Keat.

National No. 2 Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari are heading for a second round battle with former top national pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah unless they lose to 2005 world champions Howard Bach-Tony Gunawan of the United States.

Super Series Masters Finals women’s singles champion Wong Mew Choo also has a tough draw as the unseeded Malaysian can expect to play against world champion Lu Lan of China in the second round.

Lydia Cheah opens against second seed Wang Lin of China while Julia Wong, making a return after a six-month layoff because of a torn knee ligament, has an opening match against SEA Games gold medallist Salakjit Ponsana of Thailand.

Be a champion

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:02:00 +0000

IN conjunction with the 2010 Thomas Cup which will be held in Kuala Lumpur next May, TV9 and Yonex with the support of the Youth Ministry and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will introduce a badminton reality show called Jaguh.

It is timely as badminton has achieved remarkable success in the Malaysian sports arena, such as Malaysia winning the Thomas Cup in 1992, All England in 2003 (singles) and 2007 (double) and a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics.

After the achievements of players such as Cheah Soon Kit, Misbun Sidek and Soo Beng Kiang and current heroes such as Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Hafiz Hashim and Tan Boon Heong, it is the nation’s responsibility to make sure the talents of fresh players are not wasted.

Now, with new show Jaguh, TV9 hopes that it could be the platform to let the fresh talents shine.

In line with the station’s mission to search for the next talented young athlete, Jaguh also hopes to drum up interest for the game, especially for the young generation.

Jaguh is open to all boys aged from nine to 11. Admirable attitude, talents and fitness are what’s needed to be a great athlete and to make it big in the show.

The show will be judged by the coaches from the BAM, led by Kwan Yoke Meng (one of Malaysia’s badminton singles players who won the Thomas Cup in 1992).

He will be assisted by three experienced coaches – Koah Kar Lin, Salleh Swandi and Sufian Abu Bakar.

This show will give young players a chance to show off their talents and follow in the footsteps of their idols.

Producer Wahyu Nurtjahyono Subiyakto, 33, said that his biggest challenge in producing Jaguh is to juggle the filming schedule.

“We really do a lot of juggling as these boys will be back at school from Jan 4 so that’s our biggest challenge,” said Wahyu, adding that his team comprises four directors who will focus on two students each.

“We decided to come up with Jaguh after doing a bit of research in the Klang Valley. We discovered that many badminton courts in sports complexes are fully booked at most times.

“That’s how we discovered how popular badminton is among Malaysians regardless of their age.

“And for a start we don’t want to be too ambitious. That’s the reason we are only having an audition in the city. Even then we received calls from people outside the Klang Valley and they told me that they are willing to come all the way to the city for the audition.

“Sixteen hopefuls are selected during the audition and that will be trimmed down to eight finalists. They will compete during the school holidays in March,” explained executive producer K.M. Baskaran.

For the whole month of January, the production crews will follow eight finalists to their homes to record their daily routines such as home-based training and their lifestyle.

“We will bring the coach with us during the filming so they will give tips and advice to the contestants.

“During the one-week school holiday in March the eight boys will undergo intensive training as there will be an elimination process until we have the two finalists,” explained Wahyu, adding that the contestants will be evaluated based on their commitment, talent and performance.

Jaguh comprises eight episodes and will premiere on March 26 with the finale on May 14 on 9TV at 9pm.

Lotus F1 Racing Team Adds Colour, Excitement To Malaysian Motorsports

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:11:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Bernama) -- The emergence of the Formula One (F1) team from Malaysia, the inconsistent performance of the country's elite athletes for the London Olympics and the success of the Malaysian contingent at the recent SEA Games in Laos made headlines in the country's sports scene in 2009.

Although the year began with the spread of Influenza A(H1N1), resulting in many sports tournaments, locally and abroad, to be cancelled or postponed, the pandemic was contained in Malaysia and this enabled the sports activities for the year to be carried out as planned.

The announcement on the formation of the Malaysia F1 team, the Lotus Racing Team, sponsored by three corporate figures -- Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and S.M. Nasarudin S.M. Nasimuddin - through the establishment of 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd (1MRT), made front-page headlines in all newspapers in Malaysia in September.

The Lotus Racing Team's entry as the 13th team on the F1 grid, as confirmed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), will make its first appearance at the Bahrain Circuit in March.

Malaysia's involvement, previously, was through the national petroleum company, Petronas, as a partner in the Sauber Petronas and BMW Sauber teams.

The first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development held in September and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, announced an allocation of RM16 million for 2009-2012 for the "Road to London 2012" programme.

Nineteen national athletes are being trained under the programme with the aim of bringing Malaysia's first Olympic gold from the London Games.

Early this year, Malaysia pinned its gold medal hopes on cycling and badminton at the London Olympics, but the hopes were dashed at the end of this season with their dismal performance and the excuse given was that the athletes were tired from taking part in one competition after another.

In cycling, especially the track event, the hope was on Terengganu's Azizulhasni Awang, who won two silver medals in the 200m sprint at the World Track Championship in Poland in March and then two gold medals in the same event at the Asia Cycling Championship in Kalimantan, Indonesia, in August.

His best achievement was winning the Grand Prix Medellin in Colombia in October, defeating world champion Gregory Bauge from France.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek was full of praise for the young cyclist, regarding him as Malaysia's "golden boy".

However, Azizulhasni, 21, did not perform as expected at the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester, England and in Melbourne, both held in November, as he was tired and had to also give time to his studies at Deakin University, Melbourne.

The cyclist, nicknamed Pocketrocketman by the foreign media, won a bronze in the Keirin event in Manchester and silver in the same event in Melbourne.

Badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei continues to be world number one men's singles shuttler, winning the super series championships this year - the Indonesia, Switzerland, Malaysia and Hong Kong Open and the World Super Series in Johor Baharu in early December.

He also won the Grand Prix in Malaysia and Macau. But he did not compete in the 25th SEA Games in Laos, giving fatigue as the reason.

National doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong were back in the top ranking of the World Badminton Federation in early November.

Malaysia is also hoping for gold at the London Olympics in the diving event through Leong Mun Yee and Pandelela Rinong, who won a bronze medal in the World Championship in Rome in June.

For the SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos from Dec 9 to 18, Malaysia sent 348 athletes and 120 officials and they surpassed the 35-medal target by bringing home 40 gold, 40 silver and 59 bronze medals.

Although most of the gold, totaling 15, came from the aquatic events, the one gold medal that Malaysia had been waiting for 20 years was won by the national men's Under-23 football team.

The team, coach by K.Rajagobal, defeated Vietnam 1-0, a victory which could indicate the return of the glory days of Malaysian football.

Malaysia took part in 21 of the 25 sports events at the SEA Games. They were aquatics (swimming, diving), archery, track and field, badminton, snooker & billiard, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karate, silat, petanque, sepak takraw, shooting, ping-pong, tennis, volleyball, weight-lifting, wushu and taekwondo.

It did not take part in four events - soft tennis, wrestling, muay thai and shuttle jiggling.

Malaysia will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Bath in Britain in February next year to enable Malaysian athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London to train there.

Lin Dan

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Lin Dan born October 14, 1983 in Longyan, Fujian) is the current dominant player of world badminton from China, his ethnicity belongs to the Hakka ancestry. He has been nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans. Lin won the men's singles gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

He is the only player in badminton history to have won three singles world championship titles having done so consecutively in 2006, 2007, and 2009. He currently has a romantic relationship with fellow Chinese badminton player Xie Xingfang.

Lin became one of the dominant players of men's singles, winning nine top tier international championships between 2002 and 2004. In a surprise loss, he was eliminated as the no.1 seed in the first round of the badminton men's singles in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. However, he has continued his dominance in international tournaments and has been continuously ranked number one in the world since early 2004, except for a very brief period of time in 2006 when Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia overtook him.

Among the tournaments Lin Dan have won are the All-England Open (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009), the BWF World Championships (2006, 2007 and 2009), and the Olympic Games (2008). He has helped China win three consecutive Thomas Cup (men's world team) championships in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and has also been a major contributor to Chinese teams which won the Sudirman Cup (combined men's and women's team championship) in 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Lin Dan is a left-handed player whose most defining characteristic is his ability to attack with fast smashes at steep angles. He combines quick movements around the court with the ability to maintain long aggressive rallies to win the majority of his matches. He relies on diving to retrieve his opponents attacking shots with an exceptionally fast recovery. His well built physique helps him to produce powerful straight and cross court jump smashes, and his fast penetrating footwork makes him one of the toughest active badminton players in the open circuit. At one time he was criticized for a lack of precision or refinement, especially when compared to competitors such as Taufik Hidayat and Peter Gade. However, Lin now occasionally uses deceiving wrist movements and employs a wider variety of shots, developing into a more complete player.

East Asian Games Results

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:17:00 +0000

A big team, including 97 sports’ athletes from Mongolia has participated in the events of Badminton, Bowling, Cycling, Judo, Shooting, Weightlifting, Wushu Sanshou, Table-tennis, Tennis, Cue Sports and Taekwondo at the Fifth East Asian Games 2009.

Mongolian Taekwondo athlete N.Erdenebaatar won a silver medal in the men’s 67kg event; Kim Eung hyun from South Korea took the gold medal; Chen Jiande from China and Lo Tsubg Jui from Taipei received bronze medals in the event.

D.Lkhagvadorj from Mongolia won a gold medal in the men’s 58kg’s event and B.Tuyasaikhan took a bronze medal in the women’s 59kg event; Lim Chulho from South Korea won the gold medal and Chan Yi Chieh from Taipei took the silver medal and Xu Yong Zeng from China received a bronze medal in the competition.
Wizard of Mongolia, B.Tuyasaikhan and Wu Qiong from China grabbed bronze medals in the women’s 59kg event.

Tseng Pei-Hua from Taipei won a gold medal and Lee Sung Hye from South Korea was awarded a silver medal in the event.

Mongolia ranked seventh overall and China placed first in the competition on December 7, 2009.

The 5th East Asian Games will continue to be held in Hong Kong from December 5 to 13 2009. Around 2,300 elite athletes have competed for 262 package medals in 22 sporting events, making it the largest international multi-sport event ever held in Hong Kong.

Koo-Tan need to tighten defence to beat Koreans

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:09:00 +0000

PETALING JAYA: Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will have to work on their defensive aspects of play if they harbour hopes of making a successful defence of the men’s doubles title in the Super Series Masters Finals, which will be played in Johor Baru from Dec 2-6.

The world No. 1 failed in their bid to become the first Malaysian pair to win a China Open men’s doubles title when they lost to world No. 2 Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae of South Korea in the final in Shanghai on Sunday. The battling Koreans won the 76-minute match 21-13, 19-21, 21-18.

Despite the defeat, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will remain as the top ranked pair in the world until the new season begins in January.

The duo still have two tournaments left to play this year. After the Masters Finals, they will feature in the Laos SEA Games.

And national doubles coach Rosman Razak said that Kien Keat-Boon Heong would have to strengthen their defence in the Masters Finals.

“They can expect to play against the Koreans for the Masters Finals title. Koo-Tan will have to more solid in defence apart from maintaining their attacking pace,” he said.

“The Korean pair showed (in the China Open) that they were much better in defence and at times could retrieve more than 10 consecutive shots.

“The good thing is Boon Heong is showing greater determination and does not get frustrated when he fails to kill a rally with his powerful smashes. It’s good for their partnership as they must try to maintain their attacking pace even when things are not going their way.”

Although Kien Keat-Boon Heong failed to get the better of Jae-sung-Yong-dae in Shanghai, Rosman felt that the situation should be different in Johor Baru.

“The shuttle was a bit slow in Shanghai but I think it will be different if this element is taken care of,” he said.

“For Koo-Tan, their recovery is more important as it has been a hectic schedule over the last two months for them, competing in four straight Super Series tournaments (Denmark, French, Hong Kong and China). Overall, they did well to reach three finals and winning one of them.”

Kien Keat-Boon Heong won in Denmark, beating Danes Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe but fell to Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the French Open. They lost to compatriots Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook in the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Xie vows to stand by her man in retirement

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:23:00 +0000

SHANGHAI: After competing alongside her star boyfriend, Lin Dan, on the badminton court, China's former women's singles world No 1 Xie Xingfang has decided to support her sweetheart in another way in retirement - by getting behind him.

"In retirement I want to live a real ordinary life I want to be the woman that cooks soup for Lin," said the 28-year-old Xie, who officially announced her retirement on Sunday.

"When both of us were athletes, he always took time to watch my matches and made suggestions.

"Now that I am retired, he can focus on his own play."
On the final day of the China Open on Sunday in Shanghai, the Chinese badminton national team held a farewell ceremony for Xie and women's doubles player Zhao Tingting, marking the official retirement of the two world champions.

Less than two hours later, Lin beat Jan Jorgensen of Denmark to defend his men's singles title. That was his fourth title at the tournament, making him the most successful player in the event's history.

Xie did not compete at the event where she won the women's singles title in 2004. However, she was in the stands cheering for Lin throughout the tournament.

Xie appears comfortable leaving the game she took up at the age of seven.

"It took a long time for me to make the retirement decision. So when it came, I did not feel emotional."

She is now looking forward to life after retirement.

"Now Lin Dan's job is to earn money and I am responsible for spending it," Xie said.

"I have tried different cuisine while competing around the world and I have always wanted to learn cooking.

"Continuing to study has always been my dream as well and the most important thing is to learn English.

"Lin also wants to learn English but he won't have much time to study before the London Games. So, I want to learn first and be his interpreter."

The Xie-Lin romance came to light at the 2004 Thomas Cup when the media caught them kissing.

Since then they have become comfortable with the attention on and off the court. They have appeared courtside at each other's matches and have posed together for fashion magazines. At the 2007 All-England Open, where both claimed the singles titles, Lin presented Xie with a bunch of roses and a kiss at the awards ceremony.

Lin, the undisputed king of the men's badminton, said he understood his girlfriend's decision.

"Now, the most important thing for Xie is to start her second stage of life," Lin said. "We should give her some time to decide what she wants to do..

"As her teammate and boyfriend I am very happy that there are lots of people to support her. I also hope her fans will support her like before."

People close to the couple expect to hear wedding bells soon but the pair has declined to comment on that matter.

Although declaring she has no set plans in retirement, Xie, a Guangdong native, has joined the Guangzhou Asian Games organizing committee. She also said she might consider playing in the Chinese Badminton League.

"I have a deep love of sports, so I may continue to support sports in retirement," Xie said.

Her contribution to badminton was praised by her coach.

"I didn't want her to retire as she is still such a good player but I can understand her choice as she is about to turn to 30," said Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese national team. "I hope she does well in the future and I will always support her and give her help when she needs it."

BWF WORLD SUPER SERIES - YONEX FRENCH OPEN: China's top guns make a return

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:01:00 +0000

With the recent ending of the Denmark Open in Odense, the badminton caravan is now flying to Paris for the second leg of the European Super Series. With the whole team of China back in the loop, only Lee Chong Wei and the Koreans are missing.

Usually, Asians either travel to both European events, or none. This time, after their National Games, most of the Chinese shuttlers had withdrawn from the Denmark Open – a shame considering the quality of the organization.

But the French organizers can be reassured – the whole Chinese team is already in Paris, ready to take on the other best shuttlers in the world.

The men’s singles will have a very strong line up in spite of the absence of the 2007 champion Lee Chong Wei, who is still undergoing treatment in Malaysia after his knee injury became more troublesome in the recent Yonex Japan Open. FrenchOpen-wanglin

Top seed will then be Lin Dan, a spot he’s had left for quite some time in spite of his Olympic Gold medal – the Chinese, having played a lot less tournaments than his direct rivals had slipped down the ranking.

This time, the Chinese will hope to shine in an event he’s never won, having skipped 2008 and beaten in 2007’s semi-finals by Bao Chunlai. After having scooped a second National Games title in Qindao last week, Lin Dan might have to start the tournament on a high note : he could be playing Anup Shridar or Anand Pawar from India, who are to play against each other in the qualifying – unless Ireland’s Scott Evans or Sweden’s Henri Hurskainen pull an upset on Tuesday.

The Chinese would then probably face Hans Kristian Vinttinghus of Denmark “I hope he shows up and if he does, I’d absolutely would love to play and beat him,” said Vitthingus, before adding : “ but I will be aware of my first round against qualifying player as there is no easy rounds in Super Series”. Lin Dan could then meet Joachim Persson in the quarter – if Simon Santoso allows that to happen, while Chen Jin and Wong Choong Hann are set to play each other in the other quarter-final. Chen, however, will take on last week’s Hero, Marc Zwiebler, in his first round.

The lower part of the draw will be quite interesting as well. With Peter Gade as second seed and Jan Jorgensen as a potential opponent for the great Dane, giving Gade the perfect opportunity to avenge his defeat in Odense last week.

No easy path, then for the great Dane. And, also, in the semi final, awaits the shadow of Taufik HIdayat, which could be a rematch of last’s year final, where Hidayat had blamed a blister on his foot for his last game loss. Taufik has the easiest draw in theory, with Hafiz, Chan Yan Kit and Chen Long in his part, who are good shuttlers on paper, but who have failed to prove much on the court lately. FrenchOpen-markis-hendra

In the women’s singles, Pi Hongyan will be hoping to shine in front of her home crowd, as she had in 2007 when she had reached the final, bowing only to Xie Xingfang in the final. This time, no Xie, No Zhang Ning to get in her way, but just herself as she 30 year old has been feeling in a poor form.

And her draw could see her play Eriko Hirose as the Japanese has to go through qualifying to make it to the main draw in spite of her recent semi-finals in Japan and Denmark. China’s Wang Lin and Wang Yihan will be eager to shine, with the former coming from Qindao with a golden medal around her neck after she was crowned in her home National Games.

Wang Lin will take on Japan’s new rising star Sayaka Sato in the first round to hope for a quarter final revenge against Saina Nehwal, who had beaten her in Indonesia this year. Wang Yihan is seeded third and has no easy task as she is to play her younger compatriot Wang Xin as early as the first round before a potential quarter final against the world Champion Lu Lan.

The men’s doubles draw looks pretty much the same as last week in Denmark with one extra adding – not the least- China’s Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng. The Olympic silver medalists are back together after having split last year in the French Open, and once again few weeks ago when they represented their provinces in the China National Games.

Cai Yun had beaten his partner Fu in the men’s doubles final, but their reunification for the event held in Paris could be bad news for their opponents, who didn’t look in their best forms – except Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen and Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong. FrenchOpen-rytter-frier

Top seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan are on for two rounds against Japanese pairs probably, while the highlight of the first rounds will be a match between 5th seeds Fairuzizuan/Abdul Latif and the newer Indonesian pair of Yonathan Dasuki and Rian Sukmawan.

Even when they sent only one scratch pair, China dominated the women’s doubles in Denmark last week, with Pan Pan and Zhang Yawen crowned champions in Odense. This week in Paris, three other pairs – better on paper – will be entering the draw – no good news for the rest of the world. Especially since the Koreans have not entered, it might be an all China affair, with the draw giving only one quarter left without a Chinese pair – a part of the draw which could see Lena Frier Kristiansen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (for their last tournament together), Greysia Polii/Maheswari or Japan’s Miyuki Maeda/Satoko Suetsuna come on top.

Malaysia’s Chin and Wong are top seed and start with a Bye but can expect a tough fight from Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli as early as the quarters. Olympic Champions Du Jing and Yu Yang might have to play their compatriots Zhang and Pan in the quarters while Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei are promised a semi final spot in the lower part of the draw.

The mixed double event should be quite open. If Korea’s Lee Young Dae and Lee Hyo Jung are missing, and the duo of Thomas Laybourn/Juhl probably to skip as well unless Laybourn’s knee recovered fasters than expected, all other top pairs are in the draw. China’s Zheng Bo and Ma Jin are back on top of the draw, with Antony Clark and Donna Kellogg as second rounds potential opponents.
Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia are second seeds with qualifiers for a start, who could be Koo Kien Keat and Wong Pei Tty. They are set to meet up with Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen for another world championship rematch in the semis. The Danish will be all fired up after their success in Denmark this Sunday. They’ll have to go past He Hanbin and Yu Yang first, in the quarters as the Beijing bronze medalist stand in their way as 5th seeds.
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Five Singles Players March Into Fourth Round

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:07:00 +0000

ALOR SETAR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Five Malaysian singles players - three men and two women - marched into the fourth round of the World Junior Badminton Championships at the Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium Thursday.

Leading the charge was Sonia Cheah Su Ya, the younger sister of national senior women's singles player Lydia Cheah, who beat Japan's Sayaka Takahasi 22-20, 21-16 in straight sets.

The 16-year-old Kuala Lumpur lass, making her debut here will next face her toughest hurdle tomorrow when she faces Xiaojia Chen of China, the top seed in the competition.

"I am happy with my performance so far because I was able to beat a number of seeded players in the championships," she told reporters after here match.

National women's junior ace Tee Jing Yi also booked her ticket to the fourth round of the women's singles with an easy 21-14, 21-13 win over Thailand's Jindapol Nitchaon.

Three men's singles players Zulfadli Zulkifli, Misbun Ramdan Mohamed Misbun and Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin also joined the duo in the fourth round after beating their respective opponents.

Iskandar, the country's number one junior player, cruised past Singapore's Gerard Ong Soon Lee 21-16, 21-11 before Zulfadli overcame India's Pranoy H.S 24-22, 21-12 while Misbun Sidek's son Misbun Ramdan encountered a tougher opponent in Ari Trisnanto from Indonesia and had to go the distance before winning 21-11, 21-23, 21-19 in three sets.

French Open Super Series 2009: Draws Released

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:26:00 +0000

The draws for the French Open Super Series have been released, and from the looks of things the only big name missing from the men’s singles is Lee Chong Wei. Now, of course that is a very big name, but certainly with Lin Dan in the mix we can expect some excellent badminton. Lin Dan will be seeded first, and on the opposite side of the draw we have Peter Gade as second seed. In the second round we will have a rematch between Gade and Jan O Jorgensen, and after losing to Jorgensen last week in Odense you can be sure that he will be ready for another fight. It will be much more difficult for Marc Zwiebler to replicate last week’s great run in Paris as he has to face Chen Jin in the first round, but with some new found confidence perhaps Chen Jin has something to be worried about.

With the Chinese team back in full force the womens singles is also jam packed tough competition. Wang Lin is back and is first seed, although Hong Kong’s Zhou Mi has withdrawn for unknown reasons. Denmark’s Tine Rasmussen is the fourth seed, and she will meet her first big test in the quarters against Jiang Yanjiao. Wang Yihan will be the third seed and she has to face the strong youngster Wang Xin in the first round.

Malaysia Goes Down Tamely To China In Final

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:31:00 +0000

ALOR SETAR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's junior badminton squad lost 0-3 to China in the final of the World Junior Badminton Championship at Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium here Monday.

The mixed double pair of Ow You Han-Ng Hui Ern lost 5-21,19-21 to Lu Kai-Boa Yixin while first single player Muhammad Syawal Mohd Ismail lost 15-21,23-25 to Tian Houwei.

China's domination was complete when Lu Kai-Liu-Peixuan beat Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kang Ming in three sets, 21-18,18-21 and 21-17.

With the win, China defended the title it won in Pune, India last year.

Head coach Sun Chenghua said becoming runners-up was quite an achievement although he had hoped that Malaysia would emerge champion.

"I am satisfied with their achievement. There are several events left and I am confident that they will rise to the occasion," he said.

Malaysia is banking on Muhammad Syawal and Iskandar Zulkarnain to reach the single semi-finals.

Yonex New Racquet – ArcSaber Z-Slash

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Yonex New Racquet – ArcSaber Z-Slash

Main Features:

New Frame;
Nanoscience + cs carbon nanotube;
compact frame + super slim long shaft;
ultra PE Fiber + super hmg;
new control support cap

It recorded 414km/h. (by top men’s player)
yonex arcsaber z-slash

yonex arcsaber z-slash

Some Results – Yonex Japan Open Super Series 2009
MS
Simon SANTOSO [INA] vs [MAS] Chong Wei LEE (with Arc-Z-Slash) (19-21 21-15 21-19)
MS – Final
Bao Chunlai (with Li-Lang Racquet) VS Taufik HIDAYAT (with Arc-Z-Slash) (21-15 21-12)
Chong Wei Lee with ArcSaber Z-Slash

Chong Wei Lee with ArcSaber Z-Slash
Taufik HIDAYAT

Taufik HIDAYAT
Bao ChunLai with Li-Ning

Bao ChunLai with Li-Ning
Bao ChunLai - MS Winner - Japan Open Super Series 2009

Bao ChunLai - MS Winner - Japan Open Super Series 2009

Malaysia Storm Into Semis

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:41:00 +0000

ALOR SETAR, Oct 24 (Bernama)-- The national junior badminton squad stormed into the semifinals of the World Badminton Youth Championships after they edged Japan 3-2 in their final qualifying match in Group Z at the Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium here Saturday.

Malaysia topped the group and were unbeaten in all the qualifying matches.

Malaysia's mixed doubles pair Chooi Kah Mong-Ng Hui Ern won the first point when they defeated Otaki Naoto-Kanako Konishi 16-21,21-16 and 21-16.

The main singles player Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin gave the home fans much to cheer when he took the second point downing Watanabe Tatsuya in straight sets of 21-12,21-15.

However, the boys' doubles pair of Phang Zheng Lin-Goh Jian Hao were beaten by Hoshiro Shohei-Kobayashi Akira 16-21,19-21.

Malaysia's girls' singles player Tee Jing Yi had the crowd in delirium when she scored the winning point against Mitani Minatsu in 21-18,21-11.

The girls' doubles pair Ng Hui Ern-Lai Pei Jing lost to Takahashi Sayaka-Fukuman Naoko in 16-21,2-21.

Results (Night):Group W: China bt Indonesia (4-1), Russia bt New Zealand (5-0), Group Z: Malaysia bt Japan (3-2), Singapore bt France (3-2).

In the play-offs, Taiwan bt India (3-2); Thailand bt Hong Kong (3-2).

Badminton – The Sport Everyone Loves

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Badminton has captivated the hearts of the multi-generational family for decades, as the young toddler who hasn’t reached pre-school can play, as well as the grandfather and even the great-grandfather. In England over 2 million people actively, regularly, play badminton.By combining skill, speed and subtlety, one can become a top pro.

The racket is usually about 26 inches long and only weighs about 5 or 5 ½ ounces. And, toddlers can handle the same weight racket as the parents — if their hands reach around the handle. The ‘bird’ is super-light, weighing only 4 to 5 grams. Winter winds blowing don’t stop the badminton lovers. Played indoors with a net, the sport is a year-round possibility. Schools have found that even students who are not athletically inclined can enjoy learning and playing badminton.Many schools offer classes from kindergarten on through high school,increasing the skill level as the students grow.

Hand-eye coordination increases, as does depth perception, concentration, and spatial awareness. Older students learn organizational skills and coaching techniques. Fast! That little ‘bird’ can travel in excess of 100 kph. Players lurch, twist, jump, run forwards, backwards, and sideways while lunging to flip the shuttle back to the other side.

Because both the shuttle and the racket are so light, the slightest twist of one’s wrist can direct where the bird will fly.

Fun! Delightful fun! Badminton brings much joy and laughter to the players.

Carlton Badminton Rackets- a Cheaper Alternative?

If you are looking for an alternative to Yonex, then Carlton badminton rackets could well fit the bill. Carlton are badminton specialists, they only manufacture badminton products, unlike many of their competitors. This focus has enabled them to create high quality rackets, full of innovative technology.

The new Carlton range features the Fireblade and Aeroblade series, which recently replaced the old Powerblades and Airblades. The prices range from £80 for the flagship Fireblade Elite, to around £30 for the bottom of the Aeroblade range. A welcome addition to the Carlton range is the isometric head shape. Almost all the range have this alternative, and is comparable to the Yonex rackets. The Aeroblade rackets are aimed at intermediate players, but in all honesty, if you have good technique, you can use just about any badminton racket and be successful.

The technology in the most expensive Carlton’s is nanopulse carbon, which can also be seen in many Yonex rackets.

SIR CRAIG REEDIE DOES BADMINTON PROUD!

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:36:00 +0000

In a terrific honour for badminton, Sir Craig Reedie, CBE, a former Badminton World Federation president, has been elected to serve on the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

BWF president Dr Kang Young Joong expressed delight at Reedie’s election and said it was a recognition of Reedie’s contribution to sport in general and badminton in particular.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Sir Craig on his election to the Executive Board. It is a testimony to his dedication and significant contribution to sport over many years,” said Dr Kang. craig-medium

“The new role is recognition of his commitment and service to sport and I am confident his vast experience and abilities will be valuable assets to the IOC Executive Board.”

Reedie, who is also a member of the London 2012 Organising Committee Board, was chairman of the IBF from 1970 to 1981 and later its president from 1981 to 1984. He was also formerly chairman of the British Olympic Association and a key figure in London’s successful bid for the London 2012 Games. In 2006 he gained further recognition of his dedication and achievement in sport with a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

The Executive Board manages the affairs of the IOC and amongst its responsibilities are to ensure the observance of the Olympic Charter, administration of the IOC, enacts codes, rulings, norms, guidelines, guides and instructions where necessary to ensure the proper implementation of the Olympic Charter and the organisation of the Olympic Games.

The Board is chaired by the IOC president and comprises four vice presidents and 10 other members.

Besides Reedie, Australian National Olympic Committee president John Coates was also elected at the 121st IOC session which ended on Saturday in Copenhagen.

The Executive Board now comprises Dr Jacques Rogge (Chair), Thomas Bach, Zaiqing Yu, Mario Pescante, Ng Ser Miang, Sam Ramsamy, Gerhard Heiberg, Denis Oswald, Rene Fasel, Mario Vazquez Rana, Frank Fredericks, Nawal El Moutawakel, Richard L. Carrion, Sir Craig Reedie and John Coates.

Smashing on-court record

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:17:00 +0000

TWO Lloyd Elsmore Park Junior Badminton Club players have returned from the national age-group championships with plenty of prizes.

The winning achievements of Victoria Cheng and Lilian Shih throughout 2009 continued at the nationals, with both claiming every title possible in their respective age groups.

Shih, captain of Auckland’s under-15 team one, clinched the singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions, as did Cheng, the skipper of Auckland’s under-17 team one.

Cheng partnered another Lloyd Elsmore club player Jason Leung in capturing the under-17 mixed doubles title.

Club coach Michael Chi, who was part of Auckland’s coaching line-up at the national tournament in the Waikato, says Shih and Cheng’s performances this year have been nothing short of outstanding because of their consistency.

Chi says Shih has won more than 30 titles this season, while Cheng has captured almost 20, including North Island champs and provincial tournaments in the singles and doubles events.

Other Lloyd Elsmore Park Junior Badminton Club members selected for Auckland squads at the nationals were: under-15 team one – Angie Leung, Rowena Devathasan, Daniel Hillier and Daniel Lee; under-15 team two – Angela Luk, Cindy Chou and Matthew Chan; under-17 team one – Carmen Yuen, Gabrielle Ip and Benny Suen.

Auckland Badminton development officer Cliff Freeman says coach Chi has been a key to the successes of Lloyd Elsmore Park Junior Badminton Club players at provincial tournaments in 2009.

“Michael has had a huge part in developing and coaching these players over the years in teams and as individuals.

“This year he was the coach of the under-15 team one in local competitions leading up to the North Island champs.

“It’s heartening to see such a strong pathway for young talent in Auckland and bodes well for the future.

“At the nationals, the games are tough, fast, dynamic and you have to be very fit to compete,” says Freeman.

London 2012: Badminton, gymnastics move to Wembley

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Badminton, rhythmic gymnastics will be held at Wembley Arena for 2012 London Olympics

The badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events for London 2012 will be held at Wembley Arena instead of constructing a temporary Olympic venue.

The venue in north London will be visited this week by international gymnastics officials and next week by badminton's world federation.

The switch is expected to save organizers $31.5 million.

British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said Tuesday that the decision is subject to approval by the International Olympic Committee and international federations.

Badminton England set for start of key season with Japan internationals

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:52:00 +0000

England’s two-match series with Japan, starting this week, launches an important few months for the national side after the eight-man squad pulled out of the World Championships in Hyderabad, India two months ago.

The opening match will be at the University of Bath on Friday with the second at the Loughborough University on Saturday evening, which will be a prelude to the 100th All England Open Championships in March and the European Individual Championships the following month.

It will be the first time either venue has staged an international badminton match although the City of Bath hosted a match against China in 1999 with England losing 3-2 at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre.

Japan last toured England in November 2000 when the hosts won a six-match series 5-1. The wins came at Guernsey (4-1), Boston (5-0), Huddersfield (4-1), Wigan (4-1) and North Shields (4-1) with the only defeat at Stevenage (4-1) in the final match.

The previous Japan visit was in 1998 when England won 3-2 at both Bath and Boston. However the last time the two nations played was in the Sudirman Cup in May in Guangzhou, China, when they scored a resounding 4-1 during a campaign which marked doubles stars Nathan Robertson’s 100th appearance and Robert Blair’s 50th England appearance.

The Japan matches will offer the first opportunity for badminton fans to see Robertson in action at home since reaching his milestone cap. He is likely to feature in the men’s doubles in at least one match with partner Anthony Clark with whom he had success at the Singapore Open in June when they became England’s first Super Series winners. It was the first win by a British pair since 2006.

Derbyshire pair Clark and Donna Kellogg, the European mixed doubles champions who will be defending their title in Manchester in April, will be the No 1 pairing for the mixed doubles and both players will be looking to follow Robertson to 100 caps. Clark, who lives just 10 miles from the Loughborough venue at Ellistown, has so far won 91 caps and Kellogg 87.

The squad, supported by Center Parcs, is also likely to feature Rajiv Ouseph (Middx), who has joined Andrew Smith (Hants) in the world’s top 30 in the men’s singles, and promising doubles players Chris Adcock (Notts), Gabby White (Yorks) and Jenny Wallwork (Yorks).

Adcock and White and White and Wallwork are both in the world top 25 in their respective doubles events.

England will be led by Performance Director Ian Moss, who is taking charge for the first time in a home fixture. He said: “I am looking forward to leading Team England for the first time at home and I am pleased that we are going to two venues that are so important with the training of our emerging squad members.”

Hafiz looks good for first-ever title on local circuit

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:22:00 +0000

PETALING JAYA: Coming under the wings of coach Hendrawan has done good to shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim.

The former All-England champion Hafiz took the advice of the Indonesian to compete in the Terengganu Open despite being under the weather and he now looks good to win his first-ever title on the national circuit.

Hafiz showed his determination to get the monkey off his back on the circuit when he steamrolled Syamsul Rizalman Mohd of Terengganu 21-6, 21-8 yesterday to check into the quarter-finals. He will play against Kuan Kam Chung for a place in the semi-finals of the second-leg tournament of the national circuit.

Hafiz said that he almost withdrew from the tournament after his nose bled during a training session last Thursday.

“I was taken ill two days before Hari Raya and came back to train last week. But my nose bled and I was left breathless. This is the worst bout of viral fever that I have had,” he said.

“I would have skipped the tournament if not for Hendrawan. He asked me to take some time to recover and not give up the opportunity to play in the tournament. Fortunately, I got better by the day.”

Hafiz added that he enjoyed spending time discussing about badminton with Hendrawan.

“His approach is quite different. We share a lot about badminton and that has helped me to re-ignite the love I have for the sport. I am able to be open to him,” he said.

“Overall, my fitness has improved under him. He always encourages me and that really helps.”

Hafiz now has a golden opportunity to nail a local circuit title in the absence of world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.

“Chong Wei has been dominating the local circuit for the last seven years. I have not won a domestic Open tournament since 1999. In his absence, I will make the best of the opportunity,” he said.

Another senior Kuan Beng Hong, who is also under the charge of Hendrawan, also made it to the quarter-finals, beating Lim Fang Yang 21-8, 21-13 to set up a match against Mohd Syawal Ismail.

The other two quarter-final matches pit Liew Daren against Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Tan Chun Seang against Chan Kwong Beng.