wilfredlgf
09-04-2005, 10:18 AM
Been a while since I've done any updating here and my return coincided with the just concluded World Badminton Championships 2005 at Anaheim, California.
I must admit I've not been following world badminton for a while since Liverpool's new appointment of Rafael Benitez back in summer of 2004. His team had since brought back much smiles to my heart after many years of teeth gritting and receiving 'abuses' from fans of Man Utd.
So sorry, Chelsea not included - their fans here didn't exist until last season.
The exciting (and sometimes frustrating) new season caught my attention for the whole of the football calendar, rendering my knowledge in badminton somewhat stale and outdated. That night at Istanbul caught the imagination of all football fans and purists alike with one of the best spectacle of a match for many years.
The season ended and it was time for the World Championships in August. Or was it?
Perhaps due to the scheduling and time difference, I had little chance to follow the live matches, only occassionally watching repeats in the evening at the local mamak whom were gracious enough to give me full access to the remote control of Astro since I am one of their most frequent customer.
Sadly, I've only managed to catch two games for this year's championship - but both being rather interesting for similar reasons; unheralded and new players putting old guards in alert with their rise into the pinnacle.
Watched the quarterfinals between former world number 1 Wang Chen of Hong Kong (previously of China) getting tricked again and again by the feisty Taiwanese Cheng Shiao-Chieh. The had definitely more refined technique but it was the smaller Cheng who put up a spirited display to overcome the power of her much taller and heralded opponent with deft touches in her arsenal shots and strokes. I cannot remember when was the last time I saw tricks triumphing over power - the closest being the last WC in 2003, Birmingham where the then immortals Kim Dong Moon / Ra Kyung Min putting on a display of unmatched blend of power from the back and grace at the net.
Never liked ladies singles as the initiative to attack isn't so much in that event compared to the men where almost all stroke above the net is a potential bait for a killer shot but that game sort of changed it a bit. Didn't watch the semis where Cheng lose to Xie Xingfang of China whom my colleague said was almost outplayed the same by the determined Taiwanese.
Doubles is where my true interest in badminton is. Being one with rather poor stamina, I simply cannot play singles without finishing it feeling ultra fatigued. My footwork is partly to blame as I find it difficult to move in large strides in higher speed while balancing it with the stroke movement.
Even so, I have always fancied doubles, a category that I have played in ever since I was in secondary school almost 11 years back. The Thomas Cup back then was a major event and I have always looked forward to watching the legendary Park Joo Bong - Kim Moon Soo take on other greats of those times such as the defensive masters of Sidek brothers of Razif and Jalani, the cunning Chinese pair of Li Yongbo and Tian Bingyi as well as the Indonesian mavericks of Rudy Gunawan and Eddy Hartono.
Moving on a few years later it changed little as the then new masters of the game in Ricky and Rexy Subagja of Indonesia took over the mantle as the greatest in the world back then, with Malaysians Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang/Yap Kim Hock playing their arch rivals for almost a decade while Chinese pairs simply failed to compete.
And times changed without any drop in quality as Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto took over as Indonesia's next generation of doubles legend, followed by the reemergence of Korea to reclaim their rightful crown as the kings of men's doubles through the formerly 'average' Kim Dong Moon and his partner Ha Tae Kwon. Then, it was a two horse race, with Lars Paake and Jonas Rasmussen putting on some variety in the skirmish at the top together with the emerging Chinese of Cai Yun - Fu Haifeng as well as the younger Sang Yang and Zhengbo. Sadly, Malaysian men's badminton was still on the decline and had since put up rather uninspiring records.
And of course, nobody worth his salt in badminton would forget about Tony Gunawan and Halim Hariyanto, back then considered one of the most talented pairs in the their generation. Their All England 2001 doubles finals against their counterparts Candra and Sigit is considered one of the best ever doubles match of all time with the standard of the play put then being of the very highest quality with all the elements of a great game put into it, you name it - intrigue, perfect strokes, almost telepathic understanding, unpredictable flair and trick shots out of the fairy tale chapters.
Being a fan of doubles, my interest piqued at the ladies game which is rather interesting as it has a more balanced rating of 50% power and 50% stroke compared to a 80% power and 20% stroke in the men's event. The rallies doesn't die just a quickly as it begins as the ladies try to outwit one another with with combination of stroke play and furious drives. The only downside is having the Chinese women dominating it like nobody's business, their style of play sort of looked similar to one another.
Then, again about doubles - mixed. I normally don't watch this until two years back when Kim Dong Moon and Ra Kyung Min ruled the roost with some of the very best mix-gender event since the legendary Sun Jun - Ge Fei. Kim Dong Moon can control the game from the back and hit back with power whenever even the smallest of opportunities arise while Ra Kyung Min is simply very awesome at the net with her unbelievable control with the racquet. I became their fan for the ten two years until their retirement last year and feeling rather disappointed that nobody had came close to that standard apart from their archnemesis Gao Ling and Zhang Jun, whom isn't that outstanding although very good themselves, but perhaps because the Koreans were very outstanding it takes something extra special to make it up there with them.
There could be an end to that disappoinment though. I watched my only second match of the WC2005 finals just an hour ago at the shop and it was what I was looking for. Alhough the first game was full of mistakes by the Chinese and the Indonesians, it eventually got back to standard by the second and the third, with our Malaysian neighbours putting on a display that got me sit up and noticing.
It was only just now that I noticed the great potential of Widianto Nova and Lilyana Natsir. I have watched them in two matches in other tournaments before this and I noticed something about this two which got my interest.
The key to this is both Natsir and Nova.
For years I had been watching the female side of the mixed team play the stereotypical setter and net killer, made famous by the great Ra Kyung min. Nothing wrong with that indeed, but how many of the ladies of those partnership down the years have you seen putting on an attacking game from the back? Don't forget that Natsir plays a mean drop and powerful drive from midcourt almost like her male partner Nova.
Again, the stereotypical male side will be the shuttle killer from the back but not with Nova. He has no problem putting on some great shots from the net and from the last I've seen, he seems to be playing even better there now. He could go forward if needed and cover the net while his partner puts on some attacking display almost unheard of from a lady side of the partnership from the back.
It could still be too early to say how they would develop as a partnership but I truly hope the PBSI would have farsight to develop and nurture their undoubted potential of being perennial champions. If all goes well, I will perhaps be seeing one of the most balanced mixed doubles partnership ever, even more so than that of the legends Ra and Kim, as well as perhaps Sun Jun and Ge Fei.
Nova and Lilyana, you've found a new fan.
Just like meeting a girl whom one have admired but have never made his feelings known, I watched badminton again with the interest burning in the heart. I cannot wait now to play the next game on Wednesday and Friday, thinking of nothing but improving my game again and again. Watching Widianto and Natsir demolishing the Chinese pair set my pulse racing again.
The girl had nodded for me in the direction of the restaurant, saying with her lovely voice and a smile I knew so well, "Buy me dinner?".
Old flame rekindled it is.
[Taken from my blog (http://wilfredlgf.blogspot.com/2005/09/old-flame-rekindled.html)].
I must admit I've not been following world badminton for a while since Liverpool's new appointment of Rafael Benitez back in summer of 2004. His team had since brought back much smiles to my heart after many years of teeth gritting and receiving 'abuses' from fans of Man Utd.
So sorry, Chelsea not included - their fans here didn't exist until last season.
The exciting (and sometimes frustrating) new season caught my attention for the whole of the football calendar, rendering my knowledge in badminton somewhat stale and outdated. That night at Istanbul caught the imagination of all football fans and purists alike with one of the best spectacle of a match for many years.
The season ended and it was time for the World Championships in August. Or was it?
Perhaps due to the scheduling and time difference, I had little chance to follow the live matches, only occassionally watching repeats in the evening at the local mamak whom were gracious enough to give me full access to the remote control of Astro since I am one of their most frequent customer.
Sadly, I've only managed to catch two games for this year's championship - but both being rather interesting for similar reasons; unheralded and new players putting old guards in alert with their rise into the pinnacle.
Watched the quarterfinals between former world number 1 Wang Chen of Hong Kong (previously of China) getting tricked again and again by the feisty Taiwanese Cheng Shiao-Chieh. The had definitely more refined technique but it was the smaller Cheng who put up a spirited display to overcome the power of her much taller and heralded opponent with deft touches in her arsenal shots and strokes. I cannot remember when was the last time I saw tricks triumphing over power - the closest being the last WC in 2003, Birmingham where the then immortals Kim Dong Moon / Ra Kyung Min putting on a display of unmatched blend of power from the back and grace at the net.
Never liked ladies singles as the initiative to attack isn't so much in that event compared to the men where almost all stroke above the net is a potential bait for a killer shot but that game sort of changed it a bit. Didn't watch the semis where Cheng lose to Xie Xingfang of China whom my colleague said was almost outplayed the same by the determined Taiwanese.
Doubles is where my true interest in badminton is. Being one with rather poor stamina, I simply cannot play singles without finishing it feeling ultra fatigued. My footwork is partly to blame as I find it difficult to move in large strides in higher speed while balancing it with the stroke movement.
Even so, I have always fancied doubles, a category that I have played in ever since I was in secondary school almost 11 years back. The Thomas Cup back then was a major event and I have always looked forward to watching the legendary Park Joo Bong - Kim Moon Soo take on other greats of those times such as the defensive masters of Sidek brothers of Razif and Jalani, the cunning Chinese pair of Li Yongbo and Tian Bingyi as well as the Indonesian mavericks of Rudy Gunawan and Eddy Hartono.
Moving on a few years later it changed little as the then new masters of the game in Ricky and Rexy Subagja of Indonesia took over the mantle as the greatest in the world back then, with Malaysians Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang/Yap Kim Hock playing their arch rivals for almost a decade while Chinese pairs simply failed to compete.
And times changed without any drop in quality as Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto took over as Indonesia's next generation of doubles legend, followed by the reemergence of Korea to reclaim their rightful crown as the kings of men's doubles through the formerly 'average' Kim Dong Moon and his partner Ha Tae Kwon. Then, it was a two horse race, with Lars Paake and Jonas Rasmussen putting on some variety in the skirmish at the top together with the emerging Chinese of Cai Yun - Fu Haifeng as well as the younger Sang Yang and Zhengbo. Sadly, Malaysian men's badminton was still on the decline and had since put up rather uninspiring records.
And of course, nobody worth his salt in badminton would forget about Tony Gunawan and Halim Hariyanto, back then considered one of the most talented pairs in the their generation. Their All England 2001 doubles finals against their counterparts Candra and Sigit is considered one of the best ever doubles match of all time with the standard of the play put then being of the very highest quality with all the elements of a great game put into it, you name it - intrigue, perfect strokes, almost telepathic understanding, unpredictable flair and trick shots out of the fairy tale chapters.
Being a fan of doubles, my interest piqued at the ladies game which is rather interesting as it has a more balanced rating of 50% power and 50% stroke compared to a 80% power and 20% stroke in the men's event. The rallies doesn't die just a quickly as it begins as the ladies try to outwit one another with with combination of stroke play and furious drives. The only downside is having the Chinese women dominating it like nobody's business, their style of play sort of looked similar to one another.
Then, again about doubles - mixed. I normally don't watch this until two years back when Kim Dong Moon and Ra Kyung Min ruled the roost with some of the very best mix-gender event since the legendary Sun Jun - Ge Fei. Kim Dong Moon can control the game from the back and hit back with power whenever even the smallest of opportunities arise while Ra Kyung Min is simply very awesome at the net with her unbelievable control with the racquet. I became their fan for the ten two years until their retirement last year and feeling rather disappointed that nobody had came close to that standard apart from their archnemesis Gao Ling and Zhang Jun, whom isn't that outstanding although very good themselves, but perhaps because the Koreans were very outstanding it takes something extra special to make it up there with them.
There could be an end to that disappoinment though. I watched my only second match of the WC2005 finals just an hour ago at the shop and it was what I was looking for. Alhough the first game was full of mistakes by the Chinese and the Indonesians, it eventually got back to standard by the second and the third, with our Malaysian neighbours putting on a display that got me sit up and noticing.
It was only just now that I noticed the great potential of Widianto Nova and Lilyana Natsir. I have watched them in two matches in other tournaments before this and I noticed something about this two which got my interest.
The key to this is both Natsir and Nova.
For years I had been watching the female side of the mixed team play the stereotypical setter and net killer, made famous by the great Ra Kyung min. Nothing wrong with that indeed, but how many of the ladies of those partnership down the years have you seen putting on an attacking game from the back? Don't forget that Natsir plays a mean drop and powerful drive from midcourt almost like her male partner Nova.
Again, the stereotypical male side will be the shuttle killer from the back but not with Nova. He has no problem putting on some great shots from the net and from the last I've seen, he seems to be playing even better there now. He could go forward if needed and cover the net while his partner puts on some attacking display almost unheard of from a lady side of the partnership from the back.
It could still be too early to say how they would develop as a partnership but I truly hope the PBSI would have farsight to develop and nurture their undoubted potential of being perennial champions. If all goes well, I will perhaps be seeing one of the most balanced mixed doubles partnership ever, even more so than that of the legends Ra and Kim, as well as perhaps Sun Jun and Ge Fei.
Nova and Lilyana, you've found a new fan.
Just like meeting a girl whom one have admired but have never made his feelings known, I watched badminton again with the interest burning in the heart. I cannot wait now to play the next game on Wednesday and Friday, thinking of nothing but improving my game again and again. Watching Widianto and Natsir demolishing the Chinese pair set my pulse racing again.
The girl had nodded for me in the direction of the restaurant, saying with her lovely voice and a smile I knew so well, "Buy me dinner?".
Old flame rekindled it is.
[Taken from my blog (http://wilfredlgf.blogspot.com/2005/09/old-flame-rekindled.html)].