Would you believe it, Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng saves the day for CHN. for now at least. They prove they may be 'old' but they are trusty when it matters this time.
Yup, Fu Haifeng is still good for another Olympics, not so sure about Cai Yun who will be 36 years of age by then.
Looks like the gamble didn't work out. Can't blame the coach though. Play Ko/Shin who looked really bad against Japan or play Kim/Kim who have less potential? It's a hard choice in the end.
If I were Gao Huan, forget about about the nerves and everything, just give my all like crazy; after all, nobody should blame me even if I lose as long as I can be seen to be really doing my utmost, playing my guts out.
I've never even seen Gao Huan play before. He isn't even eligible for automatic SS qualification. Gao Huan is ranked 56 in the world. But LYB must have thought he is more capable than Yuekun Chen or Song Xue.
Gao Huan is sometimes seen at the coaches' - he could be an analytical player. Maybe that's why LYB chose him over Chen Yuekun, Xue Song or someone else but not WZM or DuPY who are both ranked much higher than him.
I'm sure WZM, DuPY, and Tian Houwei could not be selected because they are ranked higher than LD. By choosing LD in the second MS match, WZM, DuPY, and Tian Houwei were forfeited. The problem is, LYB wanted to ensure LD played because it's an automatic win. LYB didn't want to repeat the mistake against Japan in Thomas Cup where LD was 5th but couldn't play. I don't think LYB expected Chen Long to lose though, lol. That upset his entire plan.
