Yeah that's what I thought, too! WWK is too good a player actually to fizzle off the way he did against SS. A bit of fatigue combined maybe with the fact that mentally he may not have come down from his high of the previous day's victory... ?
WWK has done really well. It s his third 3-game match and usually the third s the end. The fact he can still recover from the high of his LD victory says a lot of his excellent mental focus. I don t remember anything distinctive about his game when he played in Spore although Sealman noted he can jump pretty high for his smash. I m impressed and happy for him. And he s only 21 years old?
LD is hoping WWK will make more mistakes and he can win it easily(strategy for first few rounds to keep energy). He has no luck since WWK play it well, especially his smash is too well for LD to reply it. plus LD is becoming fatter due to he lack of consistence training, LCW lost to him is really a shame in world cham. LCW will nvr win olympic since his playing style become too familiar(easy to predict) to all china player, include PG who nearly take a set from him yesterday.
Sure... But at least they did run a rather successful "business", and got some decent pays... Still a bit better than "sour grapes"... Oh wait, my bad, "we will never do so, because we will never lower our standard..." whatever...
"...money first, everything else second"? For great champions and badminton lovers with the passion for the sport, it is certainly not all about money, some will even contribute their time and money to the game just for the joy of it or for a worthy cause, and there are examples to prove it in all sports, as in life in general, for the greater good. Of course,money is necessary and motivates you, but up to a certain point beyond which its effect produces diminishing marginal return, and then a higher purpose takes over for which some are even prepared to make sacrifices for it, out of love, or simply for the fun of it.
Just look at the umpires,service judges and linesmen, who do it wthout monetary reward, perhaps some allowances or free meals and accomodation ( for foreigners). What about the world championship with no prize money? Only the winners get offered sponsorships or advertisement contracts or such like. An example, if I'm not mistaken, is Wong Choon Han who,not being a member of BAM but independent, has to pay for and takes care of everything by himself (flight arrangement , hotel stay, no coaches,etc).
If Lin Dan is a losing champion? Then what does that make everybody else? Winning non-champions?? or Winning Chamiponship-loosers? or Loosing championship-loosers?
Great speech, eloquently speaking Try pawning the gold medal for a Ferrari or a GTR. Gone are the days of Tan Aik Huang, Ng Boon Bee, etc who I agree with you, play the game for sheer passion and for MAS glory. Those guys have second jobs. Winning SS is pittance compare to the great rewards that await from winning a WC gold medal or MAS elusive OLY gold medal. These are pro baddy players, their careers can be very short and amount to nothing if the players' name is not DLCW. Think sarul, Yeoh Kay Bin, Daren, Kuan Beng Hong, etc. Umpires, line persons, heck, my buddies volunteered in 1985 when WC was held in Calgary, they do it for free just for the free pass, get close to the players so they can smell their sweat, and courtside seating, and of course that free T-shirt and food. WCH choosing independent, well he gets to reap all the reward and not tie to BAM, aka like a businessman who choose his own destiny, keeps his endorsement, and play for the club that sponsored him, or for reasons that we do not know. All LCW winnings from SS is nothing compared to his gains from other badminton related avenues...that datukship alone opens up huge doors. And his endorsements dwarfed all his SS winnings. Today's badminton are pro game, it is all business 101.
Hahaha ya sorry2 that's what happens when you have too many thread to follow. But in the end my point is still valid
I post based on memory as I don't google for stats and facts, so I dunno how many times I err...that Eagle and Limsy watching every word I screw up
