I'm just waiting for her to officially announce retirement at this stage. There is no way she is going to make it to another Olympics and WS has moved on and left her behind.
Just had an amazing experience watching her played right before my eyes, in my hometown! Never in my wildest dream I thought I would be able to watch such high profile figure of the sport played so close to me. And on top of that, it was my first ever international live match on site! Spoiler: Okuhara vs Miyazaki Admittedly, Okuhara was not in her prime yet, making lots of unforced errors and seemed to be in constant pressure. Some of her touches were still delightful, but in the end, Miyazaki was the better one and wrapped the game in rubbet set. Miyazaki won 21-19, 15-21, 21-19. Certainly I was sad Okuhara lost the game, as I was only able to watch her for today(missed the earlier games) and won't be able to see her again. Was hoping I could see her play till sunday, but yeah... All and all, it was still the match I won't forget in my life. I'm not her fan per se, more of a fan in general, but I'm so glad I could see her play here in Medan, Indonesia. Hoping to see her bounce back stronger. All the best for Okuhara in HK Open next week. Also, Okuhara seemed to be friendly and active on social media. She noticed my IG story mentioning her xD Spoiler: She noticed me!
Oh yes, real close! Got the closest seat and it was less than 5 meters away! Since no camera is allowed, my phone is my only hope, and that one I posted is the only one worth keeping. My phone doesn't have quite the reach and the capability for low light situation :s I believe it was the only chance for me. My hometown don't have the necessary infrastructures to host such event. This is I believe the first time BWF Super 100 ever hosted here. And no way high profile players would ever consider playing at such level. That's why I'm grateful Okuhara doesn't shy away from playing here. It's the experience of a lifetime!
Well, some people just don't know(don't care) how to use camera properly. Even without dedicated camera, people were still using flash on court today. That was so annoying. Oh, and on top of that, no drinks whatsoever. Had to slip a small bottle drink in my back pocket since I just couldn't stand hours without any drink :s But don't worry, I put the empty bottle where it should be. Others were leaving all the balloon clappers everywhere without any care. Where as I picked up one people dropped on the way in, and I held up not to open it since I want to treasure it as a souvenir. On a side note, looks like Okuhara didn't fly to HK right away after losing her match yesterday. She was seen enjoying Indonesian food today on her Instagram story. My hometown has nothing to be proud of but its culinary. Spoiler: Enjoying local culinary
from bwf's point of view it's video they're worried about, but, since every phone/camera can take video now...
Here I thought the main reason was the flash since it's was distracting for players on court. There's no way BWF could prevent anyone one from recording the whole tournament with their phone if one was determined enough to do so, I guess.
