Great Danes eye Rio glory after Cup breakthrough By David STOUT AFP News – Mon, May 23, 2016 5:35 PM SGT Denmark's Viktor Axelsen believes he will go far at the Rio Olympics and is confident his fellow countrymen will also prove themselves after their historic Thomas Cup victory. The Danes have momentum on their side following their maiden title at the world team championships, where Olympic powerhouse China crashed out in the quarter-finals. In a sign of badminton's shifting fortunes, Denmark became the first European team to win the men's trophy while hosts China, who hold all five Olympic titles, suffered an early exit. "I think in Denmark we have many strong players who can really be up there at the Olympics," Axelsen told a press conference -- much of which he conducted in fluent Mandarin, to the delight of the Chinese press corps. "I have to believe I will go far in the Olympics because if you don't believe in yourself then it won't happen." He added: "I'm confident and I'm just looking forward to having a good preparation and I'm sure Denmark will prove themselves." Axelsen, the world number four and reigning European champion, led the team to victory at the Thomas Cup, scoring a straight-sets win over Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto during the team's nail-biting 3-2 final win. "I managed to stay calm and that's why I won," said Axelsen. - Racquet tantrum - However, the brash 22-year-old displayed visible cracks in his mental game earlier in the tournament. Axelsen was felled by second-ranked Lee Chong Wei 23-21, 21-18 during the semi-final -- screaming on court at bad shots and once throwing his racket. "For the Olympics you must be prepared and mentally very, very strong," said Malaysia's Lee, when asked about his own gold medal ambitions after the win. "Every month there is a Superseries (tournament). For the Olympics, in four years there's only one." Still, Axelsen's performances have been impressive enough to garner close attention from China's formidable coach, Li Yongbo. Li named both Axelsen and his team-mate Jan O Jorgensen as possible threats to China's dominance at the Olympics this summer. "Now, there's many elite players from many teams," Li told reporters. "The competition is fierce." China's quarter-final defeat to South Korea raised fears about their prospects for Rio, with world number one Chen Long chief among their concerns. Chen admitted he suffered an attack of nerves in his 87-minute loss to South Korea's Son Wan-ho, which placed the team in a deficit they never recovered from. Axelsen has beaten Chen once before and says doing it again at the Olympics is a real possibility. "I'm of course really happy that Li Yongbo went out there saying that I might have a good chance," he said. "I've been playing good matches with Chen Long. I've beaten Chen Long once and I was close with Lee Chong Wei (in the semis) so I have to believe in my chances."
Of course Axelson is a contender for the OLY gold, but somewhat I find it hard he can win both LD and LCW (or CL) in the same tournament. Not impossible, but not probable. Another contender, and perhaps a stronger one, is the Korean Son. We saw during important competitions like Asian games or Thomas cup what he is capable of. But in between, he does not show anything, so we tend to forget him or belittle him.
I think axelsen will go far but the minute he encounters LD or LCW, it's where his journey will end. I do think he can take on Chen long though
IMO, the possibility will be: (higher position have bigger chance to get Gold) 1. LCW 2. LD 3. CL 4. VA 5. SWH 6. CTC 7. JOJ If any lower position player above could beat the higher position player at the Olympic, it will increase their chance to get Gold.
I agree wid a post above about SWH! He has that big match temperament! 'Course he isn't consistent and all that but he has the spirit to give it all well it's needed the most! His chances are much better than any of the aforementioned player in the thread (VA, CTC, JOJ etc)
Although TCT has been playing well, he's still a bit of a one-hit wonder. JOJ is seemingly racing just to get to where he was before. VA on the other hand has been going from strength to strength. As such I'd also rate him higher than SWH. Also; Olympics is not a team competition, so I don't think he'll be able to produce consistently.
Do you feel that some of the listed players have no chance? And perhaps the challenge is more likely limited to the top five in the world currently and the champion will be the one in great form, like LCW, VA, and SWH in the recent Thomas Cup?
Lin Dan? He's gotta survive 5 rounds of people who have seen him lose pathetically more than once the last few months.
And then Viktor Axelsen just got beaten by Huang Yuxiang in R1 of the INA PSS, retiring in G3 after trailing 4-8. I'd rather not speak too soon of any one's prospects other than the Super Trio of Lin Dan, Lee CW and Chen Long. Both the legendary Yang Yang and Wong Choon Han just a few days ago were still affirming that the Big Three or Super Trio, as I like to call them, are very much the ones with the highest chances of wearing the gold medal at Rio. I concur.
Haha, will Rio come up with upsets after upsets? Imagine two-time Olympic champ LD being dumped by a young, up-and-coming Jonatan Christie, 21-12, 21-12 in the ongoing Indonesia Open! And LD thrashed JC at the Singapore Open on 14 April, 21-13, 21-7! In just less than two months, LD's form has deteriorated so badly. How is he going to win in Rio, I wonder? He will need almost a miracle! No wonder SolsticeOfLight was so confident of writing LD off! Will LCW also succumb? So far he is on-course to win the Indonesia Open and may well snatch the WR1 title from CL before Rio. And what about CL? He was kind enough to withdraw from the IO, thinking that he will be doing his more illustrious comrade, LD, a good turn. But it was a wasted effort as LD did the impossible by being defeated so badly by the imaculate JC! And both CL and LD missed the chance of winning the IO title and the big prize! Not that CL and LD has ever won it before. But LCW has the IO title in his bag 5 times already! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia_Open_(badminton)
Will Denmark really persist in sending BoMo for MD? when Mads x2 is way better by Indonesia open result recently and also none of the youngsters had brain surgery earlier this year.
China cool on another badminton sweep at Rio China shrugged off badminton's biggest Olympic scandal to sweep all five titles at London four years ago but the Asian super-power is trying to keep a lid on expectations of another bumper gold medal haul at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Posted 08 Jun 2016 18:15 http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/china-cool-on-another-bad/2855346.html Badminton - Australian Badminton Open - First round - Sydney, Australia - 8/6/2016 China's Li Xuerui in action. REUTERS/Jason Reed SYDNEY: China shrugged off badminton's biggest Olympic scandal to sweep all five titles at London four years ago but the Asian super-power is trying to keep a lid on expectations of another bumper gold medal haul at the Rio de Janeiro Games. The peerless team that set up the 'Great Haul of China' in London will line up almost unchanged at Rio, anchored by men's singles great Lin Dan and women's champion Li Xuerui. So strong were the Chinese in 2012 that they swept the titles without the reigning world champion women's doubles pairing of Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, who were expelled from the tournament in disgrace. Wang and Yu were among eight players disqualified for deliberately playing to lose pool round matches to secure more favourable draws in the knockout rounds. In Rio, all of China's singles and doubles contenders are expected to vie for podium places but the days of gold medal-deciders fought exclusively by shuttlers in identical red shirts may be gone for good. World badminton has moved the Olympic goalposts by limiting nations to two singles entrants in each event, down from the three at London and previous Games. The move was intended to increase competition but naturally prompted grumblings in China of a containment strategy. With the new limits, fewer team mates means more pressure on the remaining Chinese to perform for a nation which has become used to gold flowing from the badminton arena. “Actually, I don’t believe it’s discrimination against China, but the rule came out and we just accept it," Olympic women's singles champion Li Xuerui told Reuters in Sydney on Wednesday. Li, who upset compatriot Wang Yihan for the gold at London, returns to Rio with Wang again among her biggest threats. World number six Wang Shixian, who competed at London, would have qualified under the former regime but the reigning Asian champion misses out. "Maybe (we feel) it’s a pity that there are three of us but we can only enter two," added Li. CLOSING THE GAP Since London, other nations have been closing the gap and the tournament will open in Brazil without Chinese players dominating the world rankings in every event. Li is currently ranked fourth behind Spanish world number one Carolina Marin, second-ranked Thai sensation Ratchanok Intanon and Wang Yihan. There is little prospect of a shake-up to the rankings at the season-ending Australian Badminton Open in Sydney this week. After breezing through her opening match at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on Wednesday, the 25-year-old Li forecast a much tougher run for China at Rio. "Yes, London was London, now it’s a new Olympic cycle," she said. "The whole world’s level has improved, so I think it will be difficult for all countries. So, we just need to worry about our own game. “Everyone’s got a chance. It can’t be said that there are just a few contenders. It’s possible for any player to go all the way.” With its richly-funded programmes and punishing training regimes, China's Soviet-style sports system has been an assembly line for Olympic champions in sports like badminton and table tennis, but it has also inadvertently become an exporter for coaching talent. Top teams, including European powerhouse Denmark, have employed Chinese coaching consultants, while former world champion Ratchanok has credited her current mentor Xie Zhuhua for much of her success. Along with Spaniard Marin, Ratchanok has repeatedly pricked China's aura of invincibility at high-profile tournaments in recent years and has no fear of the Chinese at Rio. "Before when I was young, if I beat the Chinese players I would feel very happy, very proud of myself," she told Reuters at her hotel in Sydney's Olympic Park precinct. "But now there are many countries like Japan, India, Korea. "Many young players (are) coming up and I think now it’s not the Chinese players only. There are a lot of players going up, so I have to look at, not only the Chinese, (but) just look at who is getting better.” (Editing by Peter Rutherford) - Reuters
