Hi all, I am new here.... It's cool that Fu and Chai won the MD. We seldom see any Chinese pair win the MD titles. The last time was Sang and Zheng in Indo Open last yr, which is quite a suprise as well...
True, but in that year, there were still some signs before the Olympics. Most people might not notice the rising stars before Olympics. Both Ji XP and Zhang/Gao won the Japan open that year. and the Japan open was the last open before Olympics. Therefore, I think their forms had been kept well for a while, especially good right before the Olympic. Except Ji XP, I really could not see whom the Gold should be reserved for. Peter Gade? He lost continuously to Xia and Ji, and never shine at big time. Taufik? His game looked fragile, and he never won anything outside those islands in the remote, extremly hot and humid south east asia. Hendrewan? He actually had not got any real title yet by that time, except a 2* thai open. Sun Jun? He never recovered from his injury. Xia XZ? He might be the one, but he did not have 5* title that time. So the 5* Japan open winner Ji XP was the obvious choice by any means. He could win in any where, Europe, Asia, He could beat most players (except Gopi), and he had the hightest 5* title, and he also had the latest open title before Olympics. Although he ranked a little bit low, that's not his fault, that's because the ranking system that time was really stupid.
Another record straight wins by MX D Kim/Ra.. they are unbeatable.. most likely will be the Olympic Champs.
Lin Dan has been unbeatable for a while too in th international competition. Hong Kong open, China open, Thomas cup, Swiss open, ... I think it is amazing. Anyone else has done the similar things before? I don't think so. Especially he won 3 back to back 6* titles. That's definitely the first time in history. But people seem not surprised by this. Few even think he will be the olympic champinion. Why? one reason from myself is that I saw he just lost recently at home to even Wu YY and Chen Yu. So people still question his ability, and accredit his vistory to half luck and half to his strong determination.
So far in the 2 of Mia's matches I have watched (including Olympic 96 vs Bang and WC 03 vs Zhang Ning), she seemed to be out of shape and ran of gas very fast especially in the 2nd game - unless she was just faking it to confused her component.
physical? So you are saying that it might be the physical fitness that is her problem.. Last year I think you're right she wasn't in top condition, but now Audina has trained much harder and she seems to be back in shape, at least enough to beat Zhang Ning and almost the first game against Gong Ruina. We'll see how she's doing at the All England, where she is seeded fifth.
Re: A trashing in XD? That makes 11 in a row. If they do another sweep for 2004, I won't be surprised if Eddy Choong awards goes to both again, for the second time. Frankly, I have no idea who apart from Zhang/Gao could put up a commendable fight against these two. But even the Chinese would face severe problems to win a set against them. Truly legends in the making, Kim/Ra.
Enjoy Kim/Ra combination while you can as I can't see this type of pairing in the near distant future. Truly a sight to behold. Sure, there are other pairings that are fantastic but these two have magic on their side. Enjoy!!!
It is sad that Fei Ge retired too early. She's about the same age as Kyung Min Ra. Should be Fei Ge still playing, Ra/Kim could only be the 2nd best at most. Sigh, everything is kind of fate! Zhang/Gao could be the best if Ra retired too.
MIXED DOUBLES.. In mixed doubles, the male must do well. The male does hold 'Major portion', I think it's about 70 percent. To beat Kim-Ra, Zhang-Jun must play very well and should not make mistakes. Ge-Fei was a very good player!! But, Kim dong Moon - Ra kyung min had 11 continuous victories which are even before Sydney Olympic. It's tie record. I think that Kim-Ra is most superior mixed doubles in badminton history.
To be honest, I think Ra is extremely important in front of the net, probably better there than Kim, thus making them seemingly compatible to no ends; Kim hammering all those baseline shots, while Ra guarding the net zealously like a lioness of her pride. During WC03 finals, I can clearly see that Ra's performance at the net eclipsed that of seemingly 'error-prone' Kim; using her deft touches and great anticipation to great effect. Thus I'd say the both of them are equally important to the partnership.
It's always the case. Sometimes, fans and players/coaches focus on different issues: 1. Fans: Let the players playing to the bones, spread blood all over the place, dive for every impossible saves, and get every set tot deuce ---> get the $$$ worth, and get the excitement and entertainment. 2. Players: Save up energy and try to get the best possible performance. Go for a long shot, might not necessary to risk of injury or ran out of gas in next round / tourny. 3. Coaches: Save up the best player for the "most need moment". If possible, team first, no need to doing "civil war" and kill each other. Who's right? Well, from each party's own point of view, all right. Fans paid $$$ and deserve the excited matches. Players trained hard, and deserve the title. Coaches, worked hard, and deserve the best possible outcome. Remember, as a group, the # of gold medals count. Wether some of them from hard fight, or some others from so-call "cheap" team strategy, u figure if u r the coach. Example: Still remember the Olympic Basketball qualification game. Reporters asked CAN coach, why he benched all his starters when against US NBA dream team. The coach said, "I come here, to win a spot in the Olympic game, not to just take a chance to win this particular game..."
Re: Re: A trashing in XD? Emm/Robertson revenged their WC lost to Chen/Zhao and then played a 3 games match against Kim/Ra. I don't have chance to watch the match, but from the scores, they may have move up to the #1 challenger spot replacing Zhang/Gao.
Even before Fei Ge retired, she didn't have much luck against Kim/Ra any way. Apparently Zhang is the weakest one among the 4 players. Zhang thunder smash is no long a threat to Kim/Ra. Why not try Cai/Gao or even Chen Hong/Gao?
Zhang is less dynamic than Kim so he has to rely more on a power smash, and that is easily neutralized by the Korean's excellent defense. Kim is stronger in nearly all aspects and when he wants to, his smash can even rival Zhang's as well. The Chinese (and all other nations for that matter) better hope Kim/Ra really do retire after Athens! But nevertheless, I'm still gonna cheer for Zhang/Gao, even when they face Kim/Ra again. Just don't ask me to bet any money on the Chinese pair. On a more positive note, the Korean MD is losing strength while the Chinese are gaining. China might as well just reserve #1 and #2 MD spots for Cai/Fu and Sang/Zheng respectively, as their other combinations of Chen/Cheng and Zhang/Wang are pretty much ineffective. But putting Cai or Fu into a XD combination sounds interesting. Perhaps they might find as much success as they have recently, in MD.
Re: Re: Re: A trashing in XD? i doubt it. ZhaoTT is slow and lifts way too much at the net. she'd have no chance against as faster and sharper Ra. Balloon has a sharp jumpsmash but i am not sure if he can penetrate the Korean defense. perhaps a possible combination to try is Balloon and Gao Ling...
