BWF World Championships 2011 - A "Rioting" Odyssey

Discussion in 'World Championships 2011' started by abedeng, Aug 11, 2011.

  1. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

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    The chinese players walks home to their hotel huh?;)
     
  2. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    No, I didn't follow them to their hotel, it just so happens their hotel is just beside mine ..... wakakakaka.
     
  3. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Here are some pictures of the booths and stalls within the Arena. In this respect, the Wembley Arena is superior to the NIA, based on the interior layout.

    Pics:
    ArenaMerchandise2.jpg ArenaMerchandise1.jpg
    The Yonex booths - the one on Ground floor is almost empty, the one in 1st floor is full of people

    ArenaTShirts.jpg
    And they sell these official T-Shirts for the World Championships. I should look good in black

    ArenaTS.jpg
    To keep track, there is always tournamentsoftware.com

    ArenaStringing.jpg
    Stringing area at ground floor

    ArenaBen.jpg
    Big Ben has shrunken down in size

    ArenaFood1.jpg ArenaFood2.jpg
    Foodstall for those who are not fasting

    ArenaTickets.jpg
    Box Office Ticket Booth for those who did not "Prepare Themselves"

    ArenaVIP.jpg
    VIP Entrance, for Media, Personnel and Players

    BestSeats.jpg
    The so called "Best Seats of The House"
     
  4. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    And now, back to the pictures of the action ....... you didn't think a "yellow card" would stop me from taking pics, eh?:p

    First off, the MS match between the defending champion and the World No 1:

    Pics:
    CJ1.jpg
    A confident pose from the defending champion

    CJ2.jpg
    But soon, he was forced to bow to the World No 1

    CJFalling1.jpg
    "Oh shXt, I am falling!!"

    CJFalling2.jpg
    "Dammit, I have fallen"

    LCWMuscles.jpg
    Just look at those upper arm muscles

    LCWBreak.jpg
    A picture of calm, from the Malaysian coaches

    CJBreak.jpg
    "Don't you dare lose us the title!!!"

    Next, came the shell shocked Japanese girls. Yeah, you would be shell shocked too when hit with Wang Xiaoli's artillery barrage:

    Pics:
    Maeda.jpg
    Miyuki Maeda receiving serve

    JPN1.jpg
    Japanese pair at the ready

    CHNWD1.jpg
    Chinese heavy guns ready to fire

    JPN2.jpg
    Under relentless "bombardment"

    JPNDejected.jpg
    Faces of dejection after another rally lost
     
    #24 abedeng, Aug 14, 2011
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2011
  5. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Indonesia vs Korea MD - The Koreans were just too fast and too accurate for the Indonesian change of pace game to take effect. They could even afford sitting/diving on the floor and still win the point - such is the accuracy of the modern MD game now. INA and MAS pairs are being left behind.

    Pics here:

    Bona.jpg Ahsan.jpg
    Bona Septano and Muhammad Ahsan, good effort. Just not good enough.

    YYS1.jpg YYS2.jpg YYS3.jpg YYS4.jpg YYS5.jpg
    YYS smashes away, defended by Bona, only to be put away by KSH

    Here comes the WS match between Schenk and CSC. The blonde CSC recovered from a very bad start to put Schenk to the pasture. Unlike most players, she doesn't panic in this situations. Should have more than enough energy left for a final push against Wang Yihan.

    Pics:
    CSC.jpg
    The "Asian Blonde" Cheng Shao Chieh

    CSCDown.jpg
    Who initially goes down to the ground

    CSCWins.jpg
    But recovers well to progress to the final
     
  6. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    A British History

    Badminton England (and Scotland) got their wish of placing a finalist in the World Championships at home, England's last success being 5 years ago, also in Europe. Except that it was the wrong pair that made the grade, since hopes were more on Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork, beaten by Malaysians in the 2nd round.

    In a match where the Indonesian 2nd seeds were supposed to win hands down, Imogen Bankier was the star of the match. Totally dominated the net to the extent that almost nothing loose got past her. Good looks too, pity she didn't wear the BWF-approved skirt/skort. She would have looked much more elegant.

    To be fair, it was a match that was as much lost by the Indonesians as it was won by the GB pair. A jittery Tantowi Ahmad was not helped by a subdued Lilyana Natsir - and in their eagerness to catch up, mistakes were made.

    Pics here:
    Bankier1.jpg Bankier2.jpg
    The excellent Imogen Bankier

    BankierEyes.jpg
    Just look at her no-nonsense eyes, reminds me of Susi Susanti

    Adcock1.jpg Adcock2.jpg Adcock3.jpg Adcock4.jpg Adcock5.jpg
    Chris Adcock fires away

    GBWin1.jpg GBWin2.jpg GBWin3.jpg
    The English boy, the Scottish Girl, and the crowd celebrate a historic victory. Could be good for attendance in the finals.

    GBInterview.jpg
    And now, off to the interviews
     
  7. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Talking about skirts and skorts, here are some of the approved examples I find refreshing on the eyes .... :p. Of course, it helps if the players so equipped are photogenic and pleasant to look at (ie. not Du Jing type).

    Pics here:

    Gutta1.jpg Gutta2.jpg Gutta3.jpg
    Examples from the Indian camp

    ZYL2.jpg ZYL1.jpg ZYL3.jpg
    And these are from their Chinese opposition

    Finally, comes the most accomplished MS player of the modern era, Lin Dan. Playing with the forever young Peter Gade (on his last World Championships), Lin Dan was put under a lot of test before subduing Gade in 75 minutes. Pity that we shall never see matches between them again at future World Championship stages. But it makes for a great final recipe - LD vs LCW yet again in Britain.

    Pics:

    LD.jpg
    The great Lin Dan - great sportsmanship too now that he has "gotten old"

    LD1.jpg LD2.jpg LD3.jpg LD5.jpg LD4.jpg
    A typical Lin Dan "guided missile"

    OK guys, that's all from me in London. Other pics - if any will only be uploaded when I get back home.

    Next up:
    1. A shower
    2. Packing up and Hotel Checkout
    3. Attend the Finals
    4. Go back to Hotel and take a Cab to Heathrow
    5. Go home and arrive after midnight Tuesday morning local time
     
  8. limsy

    limsy Regular Member

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    enjoy ur final abedeng
    i will go to mcd to watch the final
    haha
     
  9. nokh88

    nokh88 Regular Member

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    Thanks for all the photos. On the one with ZYL/TQ, are you secretly escorting them? Are they your favourite players?
     
    #29 nokh88, Aug 14, 2011
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2011
  10. hcyong

    hcyong Regular Member

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    The Scottish gal has lots of potential and she's young, easily another 10 more years to her playing career. Cool and steely.

    The English boy is very dynamic, with good movements around the court, as XD guys need to have. He needs to have more power in his smash, but he's still very young, only 22. So look out for this pairing for next 10 years.

    Too bad they can't compete together in Sudirman Cup or other team championships, but good to go for all other tournaments, including Olympics, thank goodness.
     
  11. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Finals Review

    Hi guys!!!! I'm baack!!!!! After a 22 hour flight+layover+drive home time, that is.

    Anyway, the end result of the tournament boiled down to only two things:
    1. China made another clean sweep of the titles - Congratulations to China. But there has been great progress made by other countries to challenge the Chinese might.
    2. The MS Final match was the only one that went right to the wire and worthy to be called a proper final - Congratulations to Lin Dan for winning it and for Lee Chong Wei for making a very valiant attempt.

    But first, lets talk Women's Doubles. With the title secure for China, the match was only relatively keenly contested in game 1. Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang were banking on their superior firepower while Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei were capitalizing on their superior speed. Eventually power defeated speed in a close scoreline in game 1. But by the start of game 2, it was obvious that the losing pair were dropping points by, err, making errors or judgement, loose returns, long clears, you name it. Really, you have to be there to see how obvious.

    Next, came the Finals of the new Century - LD vs LCW in Men's Singles. It was a battle where no quarter was given and none was taken. I had expected the real LD to show up that day - his motivation comes not from winning so many major titles, but from the challenge presented by LCW. Both players did not disappoint me and it was well worth all the expense of coming here. Probably the best match in their 25 matches head-to-head history spanning 8 years.

    All throughout the match, the scorelines were very competitive, except for a brief period in game 2 when LCW lost his way a bit. Extreme angles, saves from point blank range, tight net dribbles, you name it, they got it.

    Even at game 3, you have no inkling of who would come out tops. At the tailend of game 3, Lin Dan showed his edge in keeping his powers of concentration. A few times, such as at 13-16 down and when he had to save 2 matchpoints at 19-20 and 20-21, Lin Dan was able to concentrate and plan the next rallies so well to save the point. It was the one and only thing that proved to be the difference in the match.

    When it all ended, amidst the celebrations, Lin Dan showed that he too had human feelings and consoled LCW for his defeat. Definitely a champion deserving of respect, and the Super Dan moniker is apt indeed.

    Likewise, Lee Chong Wei had given his all in this match, and his defeat here was not a disgrace. As they say, there is more to this than just about winning. Without a great challenger like LCW, there could be no great champion like Lin Dan. And when both of these players retire, we will be the poorer for it.

    In Women's Singles, Wang Yihan was just heads and shoulders above Cheng Shao Chieh. Always keeping the shuttle high enough that Cheng needed to move back, it was very easy for WYH to manage the rallies and keep control of front court. Nothing CSC did could stem the tide.

    Men's Doubles as expected, went the way of the defending champions, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng. They were only briefly made to struggle by KSH/YYS. By the time it came to game 2, the Koreans have started to tire and the, ahem, older Chinese pair took it home very efficiently. So much for Korean kimchi.

    Mixed Doubles was what the majority of the crowd was waiting for. Briefly, their hopes were kept burning by some fighting qualities by Imogen Bankier and Chris Adcock. Up to 15-15, at least. And then, came the Collapse of Epic Proportions. :p

    Without being under so much pressure, errors upon errors came from the GB pair, and they fell after conceding 6 pts in a row. It was even worse in the 2nd game, when they were not even competitive from the get go. Probably affected by stage fright.

    On the spectator turnout, we were boosted by the presence of Chinese supporters on finals day. They took pretty much almost a quarter of of the seats, 2nd only to GB supporters (who were prim and proper and do not make so much noise). Malaysian supporters are a distant 3rd.

    More pictures will be posted up soon.
     
    #31 abedeng, Aug 15, 2011
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2011
  12. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Yeah, you could say that. Good looking girls like them need all the protection they can get. Remember, there's a riot going on, right?!!
     
  13. freelast

    freelast Regular Member

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    thanks for your great writing and observations
     
  14. kakinami

    kakinami Regular Member

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    Me in stringing area!!! =)
     
  15. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Camera Use Rule ......

    ..... went out of the window on Finals Day. The huge horde of Chinese supporters did not bother to follow prim and proper English rules, and the language barrier perhaps forced the organizers to just bear with the "illegal snapping" of pictures.

    Anyway, first, let us look at some podium pictures. I snapped everything but the Mixed Doubles winners - by that time my time in UK soil was up and I had to scurry back for my Airport pickup, followed closely by Tine Baun and her husband (but not in the same transport - you wish).

    Pics:

    Podium.jpg
    What they were all fighting for - the highest step of the Podium

    CHNFans1.jpg CHNFans2.jpg
    The real reason why China won all 5 titles

    MASFans1.jpg MASFans2.jpg
    And their only challenge, came for this small group

    Next - Women's Doubles Podium pictures here:
    WDWinners1.jpg WDWinners2.jpg WDWinners3.jpg
    The Women's Doubles Winners - note that the happiest one is Miyuki Maeda of Japan
     
  16. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Men's Singles Winners

    This was a match that was so full of artistry and wizadry that it superseeds even the Men's Doubles finals match of two years ago in Hyderabad (since when is Men's Doubles artistic anyway?). The Match of the New Millenium. A match that both Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei deserved to win.

    But to borrow the catchphrase from "The Highlander" movies, in the end, there can only be one ......

    Pics:

    LCWLD.jpg
    LCW : "Urgh!! The smell of your sweaty body is worse than my defeat. It's gonna take me years to remove."
    LD : "Hey, I thought u wanna win the Olympics next year. Was only giving you some of my aura of invincibility ......"

    LCW1.jpg LCW2.jpg
    The dejected face of a Malaysian hero

    LCW3.jpg
    As he accepts his runnersup medal

    LD.jpg
    The Return of The King

    MSWinners.jpg MSWinners1.jpg MSWinners2.jpg
    The Men's Singles Podium Winners
     
  17. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    just you? did everyone else slack off?
     
  18. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Women's Singles and Men's Doubles

    Wang Yihan was very convincing in her victory of Cheng Shao Chieh. I was expecting a closer encounter, but it only happened in the first half of game 1.

    Pics:

    Yihan.jpg
    The New Queen - Wang Yihan

    WSWinners1.jpg WSWinners2.jpg WSWinners3.jpg WSWinners4.jpg
    Pictures of Women's Singles Winners

    Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng were in the class of their own throughout the tournament - or even previous World Championships for that matter. Their previous total offense game has given way to more intelligent, but still highly pacy, drive, block and attack game. Testament to the fact that they were only beaten once in the last 5 World Championship encounters dating back to 2006.

    Pics:

    CaiFu.jpg
    Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng - enjoying Champagne at Wembley

    MDWinners1.jpg MDWinners2.jpg
    The Men's Doubles Winners

    Next up - pictures of the action on Finals Day .......
     
  19. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Pictures of Finals Day Action

    Here are some select pictures during Finals Day, for Women's Doubles, Women's Singles and Mixed Doubles

    Women's Doubles Pics:

    WXLYY.jpg
    The eventual WD Winners - Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli

    ZYLTQ1.jpg
    ZYL : Remember the drill. If we lose this game, we throw the match ...... I need energy to beat Bankier at the net.
    TQ: Aw shucks! What does that leave me?

    ZYLTQ2.jpg ZYLTQ3.jpg
    These two girls wouldn't look out of place as fashion models

    Women's Singles (actually Wang Yihan) pictures:
    WSF1.jpg
    After two years of World Championships heartbreaks, this face finally rules

    WSF2.jpg
    Another striking pose by this leggy beauty

    WSF3.jpg WSF4.jpg
    Pictures of WYH in action at the net

    WSF5.jpg
    A sigh of relief as she picks up another point

    Mixed Doubles (or rather the GB pair's) Pics:
    XDF1.jpg XDF2.jpg XDF3.jpg
    The GB pair - Adcock and Bankier during the first 30 pts of game 1

    Mere minutes after I took these pictures, their game fell apart, also known as The Collapse of Epic Proportions. :p
     
  20. AlanY

    AlanY Regular Member

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    over the 5 days i was there, i ran up and down the stair as much as i can tried to watch and learn from the master at work.
    all alan ever done was stenciling YY on the already strung rackets! or back to his desk updating customers information.
    there were 7 sexy ES5 Pro there and i only saw him anywhere near 1 for about 5s then back to his laptop.
     

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