Coach Tat Meng leaves BAM to join Indonesian team

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.
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.”

courtesy of the star


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Wang Shixian eyes third title of the year

Top seed Wang Shixian will look to add the prestigious YONEX All England Open Championships, the second OSIM BWF World Superseries Premier Tournament, to the two titles she has won this year.

Shxian (right) claimed the first two titles in 2011 – the Super Series Finals in Taipei and the OSIM BWF World Superseries season opening Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur.
She also reached the final of the VICTOR Korea Open, which was the first OSIM BWF World Superseries Premier tournament, but lost to team mate Wang Yihan.
Shixian will start her campaign against Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, whom she defeated in the semi-finals of the Korea Open last month.
The YONEX All England Championships is among five Premier events in the 12-leg OSIM BWF World Superseries and offers a total prize money of USD350,000.
Shixian, who won two Superseries titles last year (Korea and Swiss Opens), has shown grown stronger in 2011 and will be determined to add badminton's oldest tournament to her collection.
Looking to stop her is Yihan, who also captured two titles in 2010, winning back-to-back tournaments in Denmark and France, and has consistently been in the top four.
Yihan (left), however has a tough draw as defending champion and fourth seed Tine Baun of Denmark and India's Saina Nehwal, the fifth seed are in her half the draw, as is South Korea's Sung Ju Hyun.
The OSIM BWF World Superseries is a series of 12 tournaments, including five Premier competitions and will culminate with the season ending World Superseries Finals in December where the top eight players and pairs based on the Superseries Standings will qualify.
The OSIM BWF World Superseries, which has seen a drastic increase of prize money, kicked off with the Malaysia Open which offered USD400,000 in prize money despite its Superseries status and the Korea Open, a Premier event, which offered a record-breaking USD1.2 million in total prize money.
In the women’s doubles, Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin are the top seeds followed by Japan’s Satoko Suetsuna-Miyuki Maeda and China’s Yu Yang-Wang Xiaoli.
Cheng-Chien have only won one Superseries title and that was back in 2009 when they were winners in Korea. Since then, they have failed in the next 22 Superseries events and the odds are not stacked in their favour in Birmingham.
They VICTOR Korea Open champions Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang of China in the semi-finals - if the make it that far as awaiting them in the quarter-finals is Indonesian pair Meiliana Jauhari-Greysia Polii who are seeded third.
The YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships begins at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on 8 March

courtesy of bwf

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Gunning for revenge!

It’s payback time when the OSIM BWF World Superseries gets underway with its second Premier event – the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England.

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, the World No 1, will be out to turn the tables on three-time World champion Lin Dan of China.

In the men’s doubles, Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen from Denmark will also be out to exact revenge for their loss in the Korea Open final after they were drawn with Korea’s Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae in the same half of the draw. 

China’s Wang Shixian will also be out to outwit teammate Wang Yihan for the third time in four outings this year in the women’s singles.

Shxian claimed the first two titles in 2011 – the Super Series Finals in Taipei and the OSIM BWF World Superseries season opening Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur, at the expense of Yihan but the latter stopped Shixian in the final of the Korea Open.

But gunning for Yihan will be Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun who fell to the Chinese in the semi-finals of the Korea Open and was reduced to tears after a disputed line call gave Yihan victory.

The OSIM BWF World Superseries enters its third tournament of its 12-leg series and will culminate with the season ending World Superseries Finals in December where the top eight players and pairs based on the Superseries Standings will qualify for the Finals.

But Chong Wei’s path is a tricky one with Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana, Denmark’s Peter Gade and China’s Chen Long all drawn in the same half of the draw.

Chong Wei opens his campaign against Japan’s Sho Sasaki.

Lin Dan, on the other hand, will have to contend with No 2 seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia in an expected showdown in the semi-final but the Indonesia will have to overcome China’s reigning world champion Chen Jin in the quarter-final first.

courtesy of bwf

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Chong Wei and Lin Dan to cross swords again

World No 1 Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan, arguably the best player of the decade, may cross swords as early as the semi-finals when the two players renew their rivalry in the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England.

After a five-week break, the OSIM BWF World Superseries resumes with the third leg of the Series with the YONEX All England Open.

The Championships is among five Premier events in the 12-leg OSIM BWF World Superseries and offers a total prize money of USD350,000.

The OSIM BWF World Superseries, which has seen a drastic increase of prize money, kicked off with the Malaysia Open which offered USD400,000 in prize money despite its Superseries status and the Korea Open, a Premier event, which offered a record-breaking USD1.2 million in total prize money. 

Chong Wei won the Malaysia Open when he defeated Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat in the final while Lin Dan captured the Korea Open title when he beat Chong Wei in the final.

The Malaysian is seeded No 1 while Lin Dan is seeded No 3 and this could well mean that the two players, based on the draw, could end up in the same half of the draw.

Taufik is the No 2 seed in the men’s singles while Denmark’s Peter Gade is seeded No 4.

Rounding up the seeds for the men’s singles are China’s Chen Long (No 5) and Chen Jin (No 6), Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh (No 7) and Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana (No 8).

In the men’s doubles, Korea’s Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae, despite their No 3 ranking, will be out to win their second consecutive Premier title but will once again have to go up against a world class field comprising World No 1 Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (No 1), World No 2 Yoo Yeon Seong-Ko Sung Hyun (No 2) of Korea, Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (No 5) and China’s world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (No 6).

In the women’s singles, China’s depth is never more evident with the top three seeds coming from them in the form of the three Wangs – Wang Shixian, Wang Yihan and Wang Xin respectively.

Another Chinese player Jiang Yanjiao is the No 6 seed while India’s Saina Nehwal will be looking to make up for a disappointing outing in the Korea Open where she failed to make the quarter-finals. The Indian is the No 5 seed.

In the mixed doubles, Denmark’s Thomas Laybourn makes a return (with Kamilla Rytter Juhl) after missing the Malaysia Open and Korea Open due to a knee injury sustained at the Super Series Finals early this year.

The Danes are the No 2 seeds with China’s Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei given the top billing.

In the women’s doubles, it is surprisingly an open field with pairs from seven countries occupying the top eight ranking.

Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin are the top seeds followed by Japan’s Satoko Suetsuna-Miyuki Maeda and China’s Yu Yang-Wang Xiaoli.

The YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships begins at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on 8 March.

courtesy of bwf

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Chong Wei will not meet nemesis Lin Dan until the final

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will be sporting a big smile on his face as he plots the defence of his All-England title in Birmingham next month. Chong Wei’s hopes of retaining the title he won in the 100th edition of the tournament last year brightened considerably after the draw yesterday as he will not have to play his nemesis Lin Dan of China until the final.
The duo are currently a level above the rest of the field in the men’s singles game and world badminton fans will be relishing another opportunity to see a showdown between them at the prestigious tournament next month.
Third seeded Lin Dan is drawn in the bottom half and veteran Wong Choong Hann has the misfortune of meeting the reigning Olympic champion in the first round.
Lin Dan should play either Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh, Denmark’s Jan Jorgensen or his countryman Du Pengyu for a place in the last four.
An all-Chinese semi-final affair could materialise with fellow compatriot and world champion Chen Jin of China, seeded sixth in the lower half.
But even Chen Jin may be upstaged by fast rising compatriot Wang Zhengming who has the potential to play spoiler.
The unseeded Zhengming opens his campaign against Park Sung-hwan of South Korea with the winner earning a second round clash against second seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
Chong Wei, on the other hand, has an easy first round match against Sho Sasaki of Japan.
Chong Wei, who just lifted his ninth national title on Monday, is slated to play against Bao Chunlai of China or Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia next but should prevail if he plays to his true potential.
Thai Boonsak Ponsana awaits in the quarter-finals while either top Dane Peter-Gade Christensen or China’s Chen Long may be lining up against the Malaysian in the semi-finals.
Singles coach Rashid Sidek said Chong Wei has displayed superb consistency in the Super Series tournaments so far and hopes he can keep up the good momentum.
“The All-England, however, is a prestigious tournament and everyone wants to win it.
“Chong Wei will surely be out to live up to his billing by making the final again but every match will not be easy,” he said.
The All-England is the fourth Super Series meet for the year. Chong Wei had earlier won the Super Series Masters Finals in Taipei and went on to retain the Malaysian Open title.
However, he lost to Lin Dan in the Korean Open final and it remains to be seen whether Misbun Sidek, who has yet to come back to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) on whether he will change his mind and remain in the coaching fold, will make a trip to Birmingham to guide his star player.
The men’s doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will find it tough in their bid to regain the All-England title as they have to cross swords with Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan in the last eight.
The Indonesian pair are currently independent players but still manage to keep their good record against Kien Keat-Boon Heong as proved in the successful battle for the Asian Games gold medal last November.
It is little comfort for Kien Keat-Boon Heong as world champions Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun or second seeded South Korean pair Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong stand in their way if they manage to beat the Indonesians.
Back-up pair Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong play Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan and are in the same half of the draw with top seed and world No. 1 pair Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen.
Mohd Fairizizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock also made it to the main draw and earned a first round clash against eighth seeds Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano of Indonesia.
In the women’s singles, Wong Mew Choo has a tough opening round against third seed Wang Xin of China.
If she creates a big upset, Mew Choo will face another Chinese hurdle next in either Lu Lan or Jiang Yanjiao.

courtesy of the star

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Olympics-Malaysia turn to science for golden breakthrough

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia's sports officials have opted for the appliance of science in their quest to achieve the country's first Olympic gold medal in London next year.
The National Sports Institute (NSI) has brought in 46 sports science specialists under their "Road to London 2012" programme, Malaysian media reported.
The seven sports to receive the high-tech support are badminton, soccer, cycling, archery, diving, shooting and hockey.
NSI director-general Ramlan Aziz said that the scientists would be responsible for tailoring their expertise for the individual needs of Malaysia's elite athletes.
Malaysian officials will invest in the specialised programme to improve conditioning, psychology, bio-mechanics, match analysis, dietician and technical support.
"It depends on the quota set by organisers for the London Olympics," he told Malaysia's Bernama news agency, referring to the number of specialists who will travel to the 2012 Games.
"The more Malaysian athletes eligible to compete, the more specialists we can bring along with out contingent. The need for sports science specialists for each sporting event varies."
Badminton alone will be allocated no fewer than 14 specialists, with the rest divided equally among the other six sports, Aziz added.

courtesy of reuters

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Depleted SGS Seals 2nd Victory In Super League

SGS is considered the favorite to win the men’s title, but Tangkas immediately put a dent on its rival’s reputation when Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh beat world No. 2 Taufik Hidayat 21-15, 21-15 in the first match. “I wasn’t feeling well even before the game, and it carried over when I played against Nguyen. Not to take anything away from Nguyen. He played very well,” Taufik said.

The men’s pair of Hendri Kurniawan Saputra and Chayut Triyachart leveled the score with their 21-16, 21-17 victory over Gan Tek Chai and Tan Bin Shen.

Tangkas took the driver’s seat again when Simon Santoso beat Alamsyah Yunus 21-11, 21-15 in the second singles match.

The tie was knotted at 2-2 when Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Flandy Limpele claimed a 21-13, 21-18 win over Nova Widianto and Devin Lahardi Fitriawan, before Tommy’s 21-10, 21-12 rout of Ary Trisnanto sealed SGS’s second win in as many games.

SGS opened the Rp 1.3 billion competition with a 4-1 win over Mutiara Bandung on Sunday.

It has managed to stay among the leaders despite missing Lee Chong Wei’s services. SGS signed the world No. 1 from Malaysia for this week’s tournament but has yet to arrive in Surabaya.

“He is still competing in Malaysia right now, but he will join us this week,” said Taufik, who is also SGS’s vice chairman.

For Tangkas, it was its first defeat in three ties after winning 4-1 over Musica and 5-0 over Jaya Raya Jakarta on Sunday.

Despite Monday’s loss, Tangkas still leads the men’s table, followed by SGS.

In another men’s tie, Djarum fell to a second straight defeat as itlost 3-2 to Musica Champions.

Djarum’s woes continued in the women’s division, when it fell 3-2 to Mutiara Bandung.

Cheng Shao-chieh gave Mutiara the first point with her 17-21, 21-17, 21-15 win over Maria Febe Kusumastuti. But Djarum turned the tables by racking two consecutive wins courtesy of Meiliana Jauhari and Komala Dewi, who beat Tiara Rosalia and Geby Ristiani 22-20, 21-15, and Fransiska Ratnasari, a 21-12, 21-13 winner over Chiang Pei Shin.

Suci Rizki Andini and Dwi Agustiawati leveled the score for Mutiara with a 21-13, 9-21, 21-14 defeat of Shendy Puspa Irawati and Jenna Gozali, before Hera Desiana secured Mutiara’s victory with 17-21, 21-19, 21-19 win over Febby Angguni.

The top four in each of the men’s and women’s divisions will advance to the semifinals.

courtesy of jakartaglobe

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Arundhati and Guru Sai Dutt bag badminton titles

Arundhati Pantawane of Maharashtra defeated P.C. Thulasi 14-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the women's badminton final of the Jharkhand National Games at the Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo Indoor Stadium here on Monday.

R.M.V. Guru Sai Dutt of Andhra Pradesh justified his favourite tag, defeating Aditya Prakash (Karnataka) 16-21, 21-10, 21-18 in exactly one hour to bag the men's gold.

Making unforced errors and playing well only in patches, Arundhati never looked like closing out the match.

In the first game, there were very few good points and many unforced errors from both players. However, at 15-all, Arundhati started attacking with venom and hit down-the-line smashes and crosscourt winners. Thulasi didn't have an answer to any of them.

In the men's summit clash, Guru, an attacking player by instinct, exploited the defensive play of his opponent.

In the decider, Aditya made many unforced errors from the backcourt and at the net. Trailing 7-11, Aditya came back strongly and even made it 18-20, but Guru closed out the match on his second match point with a forehand cross-court winner.

TN women in final

In basketball, Tamil Nadu women entered the final with a facile 89-61 win over Maharashtra. However, Tamil Nadu men lost to Punjab 67-59 in the semifinals.

In the hockey semifinals to be held on Wednesday, Haryana women will meet Services while Jharkhand takes on MP. 

In the men's section, Jharkhand meets Maharashtra and Services will clash with Punjab.

The results: Badminton (finals): Men (singles): Guru Sai Dutt (AP) bt Aditya Prakash (Kar) 16-21, 21-10, 21-18; Doubles: Arun Vishnu & Alwin Francis (Ker) bt Aksha Dewalkar & Jishnu Sanyal (Mah) 21-12, 26-24; 

Women (singles): Arundhati Pantawane (Mah) bt P.C. Thulasi (Ker) 14-21, 21-17, 21-15; Doubles: Sikki Reddy & P. Jyotsna (AP) bt Pradnya Gadre & S. Sahasrabudhe (Mah) 21-16, 21-18. 

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World No. 1 takes it easy against Arif in final

Lee Chong Wei was magnanimous in his win over Mohd Arif Abdul Latif in the men’s singles final of the National Circuit Grand Prix Finals yesterday. The world number one held back his game before stamping his mark to win 21-15, 21-16 in 35 minutes.
The win yesterday marked the ninth national title for Chong Wei, who will quickly shift his focus on defending his All-England title which starts on March 3-8 in Birmingham.
Arif, who has shown tremendous improvement since training under coach Hendrawan, tried to take the fight to the world number one.
But it was apparent that Chong Wei allowed the youngster to be in the game as he did play his usual blistering pace.
“I gave him some chance in the game just to keep his desire to play alive. It should be a good learning experience for him and I can see that he has vastly improved,” said Chong Wei.
Chong Wei last met Arif in the Perak Open semi-finals, where Chong Wei won 21-16, 21-8 in 23 minutes.
“I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to play Chong Wei today and I learned a lot from him,” said Arif.
“I know that I still lack the speed and strength and I will work on my weaknesses after this. I’m also more confident in my game as I’m regularly beating elite players now.”
Meanwhile, Tee Jing Yi managed to defend her women’s singles title despite a strong challenge from Sonia Cheah.
Jing Yi had to dig deep into her reserves before winning 14-21, 21-15, 21-14.
“I really wanted to defend my title this year and that piled the pressure on me,” said Jing Yi.
“But I found my game back to win the match.”
In the men’s doubles competition, a new champion was installed after Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong defeated Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock 21-14, 10-21, 21-19 in a lengthy final match that lasted 51 minutes.
In the mixed doubles action, top seed Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying once again played bridesmaid in the GP Finals after losing to Boon Heong-Chin Eei Hui 13-21, 21-18, 21-16.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying, who lost to Fairuzizuan-Wong Pei Tty in the final in Johor Baru last year, was oozing with confidence when they took the first set from Boon Heong-Eei Hui in a commanding show.
However, experience came through for Boon Heong-Eei Hui in the end to seal the match despite strong resistance from Peng Soon-Liu Ying in the second and third sets.
In the women’s doubles, second seed Ng Poau Leng-Woon Khe Wei beat Chong Sook Chin-Goh Liu Ying 21-18, 21-10 to win the title.

courtesy of the star

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Chong Wei will bow out after bagging his 10th title

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei landed his ninth national title yesterday at Stadium Negeri here, but that will not stop him from showing his unwavering support for the national event for another year. Chong Wei defeated back-up player Mohd Arif Abdul Latif 21-15, 21-16 to bag the title and said he would continue playing in the national circuit for at least another year to have 10 titles to his name.
“This is a way for me to show my support for the local circuit, even though I’m in the midst of preparing for the All-England,” said Chong Wei.
“Hopefully my presence in the national circuit will generate more interest for youngsters to play badminton, especially here in Terengganu.”
It is a no brainer that Chong Wei will bag the title every time he takes part in the national event. When Chong Wei first bagged his national title, he achieved it in the presence of an inform Wong Choong Hann.
But it has become a different scenario now.
Liew Daren, Tan Chun Seang, Chong Wei Feng and Chan Kwong Beng, although in the same elite ranks, are still far behind in terms of experience compared to Chong Wei.
“I’m here to provide the opportunity for other players to play against me in a competitive surrounding. As how far they will go, it will be up to their own desire to push themselves forward.
“Hopefully BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) will send them to more international matches this year as it will open up more opportunities for them to compete at a higher level,” added Chong Wei.

courtesy of the star

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Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei playing mix double.

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EURO MIXED TEAMS Final – Danish Dominance and Germany best of the Rest

European Mixed Team victory to prove once again that they really are a class apart in Europe with the gap continuously widening back to the chasing pack.

Every year Denmark justifiably take their place in these European team events as hot favourites as they have earned that right with almost 2 decades of unprecedented dominance. But every year, we hope that maybe some of the other big European badminton nations can bring the fight to the Danes and give them a run for their money. This year, like all other years, we are left in awe of the strength in depth of the Danish squad as once again they lifted the European mixed team trophy with a 3-1 win over Germany.

With no Gade and Baun we hoped that the Germans could at least make it interesting and they did that in the opening women’s singles where Juliane Schenk kept her 100% record with a 2-game win over Karina Jorgensen but only after the diminutive Dane gave the German number one a real run for her money.

Next was the men’s singles and if there was ever a pivotal game in this final this was always going to be it. Zwiebler against Jorgensen  had everyone salivating with anticipation. Zwiebler was carrying a 100% match record into the final and the carrot at the end of the stick was a 2-0 lead for Germany and a real chance to upset the odds. Jorgensen, meanwhile, after only flying into Amsterdam at the weekend for the knockout stages, was pretty lacklustre in a defeat to Ouseph in the semi-final but a defeat to Zwiebler really was something neither Jorgensen nor indeed Denmark could afford.

With all the weight of expectation to deliver and the pressure knowing that defeat would leave team Denmark in a perilous position, the young Dane just managed to shrug it all off, arrive on court, and deliver the most crucial of points for the Danish cause with a straight-game win over Zwiebler. The victory really was a measure of Jorgensen’s true talent and ability to deal with the big occasion.

With the wind now firmly in the Danish sails and buoyed by the Jorgensen victory, Pedersen and Juhl (pictured bottom right) delivered a 2-game win over Marinello and Michels to push the Danes within ‘shouting distance’ of the gold medal.

And who better to have on your team than Boe and Mogensen (pictured left) to deliver the final decisive point, and as if not to be outdone, brushed aside the challenge of Schoettler and Kindervater in 2 clear sets just as they had done in the French Open final in November.

“It feels really great to win the Championship again. Carsten and I won many individual titles, but this is always special because you play for the team and it’s extra nice to win when playing for our country,” said  Mathias Boe (courtesy Badminton Denmark).

“It feels very good to achieve our goal and to get the gold back to Denmark. We have been focused through the whole tournament, even though we were the favourites. And this victory today is important because we show that when all deliver the goods, we are a class above all others in Europe,” said coach Claus Poulsen (courtesy Badminton Denmark).

So ends another European Mixed Team Championship and as predicted and expected, Denmark just literally strolled to yet another championship win. What is always fascinating is the manner and efficiency in the way they go about their business. The reality of the situation is that Denmark could field a ‘B’ team and dare I say it still win this Championship and maybe it’s an idea that they should be allowed enter 2 teams but either way they remain the benchmark by which the rest of Europe measures their collective performance.

Finally, and within the team event there were also some very notable individual performances worth mentioning. Ouseph was outstanding for England all week and the emergence of Ellis and Adcock and their epic battle against Boe and Mogensen has assured us of their credentials moving forward. Schenk was also in amazing form for Germany all week and when we look back to the group stages Ireland Chloe Magee had a 100% record in all her singles matches, which is worth mentioning. But ultimately everyone walks away from a tournament like this wondering what they have to do to compete with Denmark.

courtesy of badzine

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Chong Wei sweats it out against steely Wei Feng

KUALA TERENGGANU: The semi-final match between world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei and Chong Wei Feng in the National Circuit Grand Prix Finals was destined to be a lopsided affair but Wei Feng still put up a steely display to win the hearts of fans at Stadium Negeri here yesterday.
Chong Wei was forced to slog for 46 minutes before prevailing 21-16, 21-19 to set up a meeting with Mohd Arif Abdul Latif in today’s final.
A slow start from Chong Wei gave the chance for Wei Feng to battle gamely in both games but the former packed too much experience even though he was trailing several times during the match.
“My game plan tonight was to go and play my heart out against Chong Wei even though I know my chances are slim,” said Wei Feng.
Wei Feng, who joined the elite ranks just five months ago, said he had improved tremendously since training with Chong Wei and the rest of the elite shuttlers.
“This has been a good experience for me because it is not easy to play Chong Wei competitively. We often spar with him but playing against him in a competition is different,” said Wei Feng.
Meanwhile, Chong Wei said he will do what is needed when he faces Arif today.
Chong Wei last met Arif in the semi-finals of the Perak Open (second leg of the circuit) where he won 21-16, 21-8.
“I think the juniors are catching up with the elites now as I can see their improvement in this tournament. If you compare them with me, obviously it will be a huge difference but they have improved nonetheless,” said Chong Wei.
In the men’s doubles, Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock denied top seed Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong 21-7, 21-18 to reach the final.
In the other semi-final match, Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong showed that the chemistry that won them the world junior doubles title in 2004 is still with them when they beat Chan Peng Soon-Ong Jian Guo 24-22, 21-18 to reach the final.
MEN
Singles: Mohd Arif Abdul Latif bt Tan Chun Seang 18-21, 21-15,21-9; Lee Chong Wei bt Chong Wei Feng 21-16, 21-19.
Doubles: Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong bt Chan Peng Soon-Ong Jian Guo 24-22, 21-18; Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock bt Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong 21-7, 21-18.
n WOMEN
Singles: Tee Jing Yi bt Sannatasah Saniru 21-7, 21-15; Sonia Cheah Su Ya bt Yang Li Lian 21-14, 18-21, 21-18.
Doubles: Ng Poau Leng-Woon Khe Wei bt Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean 19-21, 21-13, 21-13;
Chong Sook Chin-Goh Liu Ying bt Sannatasah Saniru-Tee Jing Yi 21-13, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Tan Boon Heong-Chin Eei Hui bt Ong Jian Guo-Chong Sook Chin 21-12, 21-19; Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying bt Tan Wee Kiong-Khe Wei 21-18, 19-21, 21-9.

courtesy of thestar

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