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The heat is on in Guangzhou
November 09, 2000 - Source : IBF
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If there was an award to be given to any badminton team, the German team would definitely deserve it - not only for their own team mates, but also for other teams.
They put on a real show while Denmark was playing Singapore in one of the most exciting ties of the day. Of course, Denmark and Singapore were only playing for a ranking between 9 and 12, but still, the fight was well worth watching.
"If you''re Danish, if'' you''re Danish, then you are dynamite." This was one of the mottoes used by The German squad to cheer for their friends from Denmark in their tie against Singapore, yesterday in day 3 of the World Junior Team Championships. After their ritual dance (pictured) once they had beaten England for a place between 5 and 8, all players from Germany sat or laid down by the court to encourage Denmark.
Most spectators had gathered around the same court because what the Danes and Singaporeans showed on court was just great. Then the show was just as much in the public as on court. To the Danish and German rhythmic clapping, the public would answer with shouting out for their favourites, as some players from Singapore are from Chinese background : " Jai yo Sin - Ga - Pore " : which literally means "put oil on the fire" ! A local way of saying : Go Singapore, go!
It was probably the happiest and most cheerful atmosphere the Danes ever played in, and they got all excited about it, especially Amalie Dynnes Orsted who was standing in the crowd, encouraging the public and the Chinese kids around her to cheer for her team. After the first two matches, Denmark was led 2/0, but Orsted won her single against the talented Luxi Xiao (pictured).
The men doubles was just another great match with opposition of styles between the soft touch Ho/Wijaya and the attacking Mogensen/Andersen. Leading 2 games to nothing, the Singaporean had the chance few times to wrap it up, but the Danes were just on another planet thanks to the crowd support. Singapore had to wait until the very last match - ladies doubles - to win the tie. " We didn''t expect to win against Denmark but it was a really good tie today" said Gerald Ho, who had just flown to Guangzhou earlier in the day after taking a school exam.
This match might not have been the most important of the day, but it was far more enjoyable than others that were of more importance. For Instance the tie for a place in the final of this event between China and Chinese Taipei: it was a one side match and brought no suspense at all to the game, in an easy and expected win by the host. China got the third point with the ladies double, composed of Zhang Yawen and Wei Yili, who was in the final of the ladies doubles no later than last week in the 6 stars Danishwith Zhang Jiwen.
On the other hand, Indonesia and Korea had a really interesting confrontation earlier in the evening. Twice the Indonesian doubles led two games to love against the Korean. And twice the latter were able to come back and win in the fifth and final games. The men''s double (Lee Jae Jin and Chung Jae Sung, pictured) was probably one of the best matches of the daywith a level which is quite close to what is being seen in the senior events.
"We had prepared to play against Chinese Taipei as they were on our side of the original draw, but the referee said that it had changed and we were to meet Korea, which troubled us before the match " said Yacob Rudsianto, the Indonesian team manager. " But we should have won the first two doubles, we were winning each time by two games. I guess my players lost their concentration at the wrong time " said Rudsianto.
Indonesia will meet Taipei after all, but it will be for the 3rd rank of these World Championships, while Korea and China fight for the first ever team world champion title. ;;Chinese young guns give home nation first junior team title;2; ; ; ;06/11/2000 : China became the first team to ever win a World Junior Championships after they beat Korea in an incredible final today in Guangzhou. ;06/11/2000 : China became the first team to ever win a World Junior Championships after they beat Korea in an incredible final today in Guangzhou.
If the Chinese team (pictured) deserves the title, Korea has shown a great fighting spirit and new talents who will with no doubt stand on international podiums in the not too distant future.
The whole stadium was filled with excitement all throughout the five matches of the day. The pressure did not leave the hall for one second as every single match brought its share of suspense. Maybe it was because of the new scoring system which does not allow any "time outs" - we'll bring you a special featured story on this new scoring system later this week. But it was also because both teams were playing at a level that was just amazing. Not many people would have guessed that these 16 to 18 year old kids are competing in a junior event.
If some teams were still playing on the side courts for the final ranking, all eyes were turned towards the centre court. And the crowd sure didn't need the pop music played out loud between games to get all excited. Having the home team on court was a good enough reason. In one voice, the whole public were cheering all afternoon, shouting "sha!" (kill!) whenever the shuttle was lifted up by Chinese opponents or the well known "Jai You Zhong Guo" (Come on China!)
Only the Korean squad (pictured) and the Czech players would make some noise after Korea scored. And they had many opportunities to do so, for the tie lasted four hours - much more time than everyone expected after what China had showed on the previous days.
All five matches went to five games except for the last one - women's doubles - which again proved China's superiority in the category. It was first Zheng Bo and Wei Yili who had a scare in the mixed doubles against Lee Jae Jin and Hwang Yu Mi, losing the second and fourth games. The level of this match was very high, with hardly any mistakes and very aggressive and intense play. The Chinese eventually won the fifth and final game, but the whole squad was then warned: It was the first time in the event that China had lost a game, and Korea was not here to be just a sparring partner!
It was then Lin Dan (pictured) and Jung Young Soo's turn to put on a great show in the crowded hall. The young lefthander from China - who is believed by many Chinese to become the next Olympic champion - showed some of his offensive talents while Jung was pulling off some incredible defense shots. Each of the rallies lasted a long time, but the overall pace of the game was incredibly fast. After the two players shared the first four games, the final one brought the utmost suspense: Leading 5/3, Jung had a service fault called by the umpire.
After a moment of arguing because the service judge hadn't mentioned this fault, Jung committed one of the rare direct faults to bring confidence back in Lin's mind. It was more than enough for the Chinese to finish the game 7/5. Trailing 0/2 in the overall tie, Jun Jae Youn was to rekindle Korea's winning spirit when she outplayed Wei Yan. "I felt a lot of pressure here today, in front of all this crowd," said Wei. A pressure she wasn't able to bare both in the first and last games, losing 1/7, 7/1, 8/6, 2/7, 0/7. But both ladies showed once again that the seniors should get ready to face this tough new guard.
"The gap between us and the best Chinese girls isn't so big, even if they have a better strategy or technique," said Wei, who has been training in the National centre for two years with the best of the national squad.
The men's doubles saw another great fight, with quite a strange score. Losing the first two games 7/0, the Koreans never lost confidence as they just needed a little more luck to put the shuttles in or over the net. This is what they did in the last three games in an impressive way, with some extraordinarily fast drop shots from Lee Jae Jin. "This pair reminds me of Ha and Kim, they play alike. Give them a couple of years and they''ll be playing among the world's best" commented Gunther Huber, Canada's national coach. Lee Jae Jin and Chung Jae Sung won the fourth match, pushing the Chinese to fifth and final match.
Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen (pictured) didn't miss the chance to wrap it up in three games. "My players didn't play as they would normally do, probably because of the pressure which was laid on their shoulders, especially the women's singles and men's doubles," said the Chinese head coach Li Yongbo. "They are trained to play much better than this," he added.
After this first ever World Junior Team Championships, the players have to regain concentration for the individual event which starts tomorrow. But with no doubt, one shall be looking for any Korean-Chinese confrontation in the event, because the day brought some serious competitors to China's expected domination. |
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Other news:
» Indonesian seniors, juniors advance to semifinals
» Chinese singles in good shape for Asian Games
» Sigit and Candra teach All England Champions a lesson
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