China Defends Major Badminton Titles
Wednesday, 21st May 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
China's men's badminton team celebrates after winning the Thomas Cup.
The Chinese women swept Indonesia, winning three matches to none. Xie Xinfang beat Maria Kristin (21-8, 21-15); Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen defeated Lilyana Natsir and Marissa Vita (21-15, 19-21, 21-16); Lu Lan clinched the title with a win over Adriyanti Firdasari (21-12, 21-10).
The Chinese men notched a 3-1 Thomas Cup victory over South Korea, with singles wins from Lin Dan over Park Sung-hwan (10-21, 21-18, 21-8); Bao Chunlai over Lee Hyun-il (28-26, 21-11); and Xie Zhong Bo/Guo Zhengdong over Lee Jae-jin/Hwang Ji-man (21-12, 19-21, 21-12). China's one loss came in doubles, with South Korea's Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae beating Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (25-23, 21-16).
The Thomas and Uber Cup wins are a good sign for China's hopes for Olympic medals in badminton. China boasts the top male and female players, Lin Dan and Xie Xinfang, and expects multiple medals in August.
"Anytime you win an important tournament like this it gives you a boost," Lin was quoted as saying by the International Herald-Tribune. "The first goal was this tournament, now the next goal is the Olympics."
Image: Xinhua
Tags: badminton, Lin Dan, Olympics, Xie Xinfang