we are starting to see the younger batch of players emerging from all nations. from China, Lin and Bao has certainly established their placed in the team already. it looks like after the current generation of the older player retires, we will once again see a generation of Chinese badminton spearheaded by lefthanders (ala YangYang and ZhaoJinHua) in MD, Cai/Fu Sang/Zheng have emerged into the scene within only a year. now they've won major titles. with their young age, they will be the major contender for Beijing 2008 if not Athens2004. from Indonesia, we were worried a few months ago that Candra/Halim/Trikus/Sigit are aging fast and they are probably holding on for Athens and definitely won't last till Beijing. then we were not too optimistic of them coming up with their sucessors. but Alven/Luluk has first shown a sign that they will be soon ready for the challenge and be a major pillar. in MS, Sony and Simon are showing signs of promise. in WS, we were very hopeful on Maria Kristen after her great performance in the SC, but so far, she hasn't shown much results. from Malaysia, Lee Choong Wei is starting to make some headways. Hafiz, not much to be said about him right now as all signs have shown that his AE2003 victory was just a flash of brilliance and may not hold its weight in the future. the few MD pairs lined up after Chan/Chew Choong/Lee aren't showing any promise so far. Yap Kim Hock will certainly need to work hard on them. from Denmark, we haven't seen any new promising comers. the current generation of MD players are well supported by JR/LP. nobody seems to be able to replace Camilla once she retires after Athens2004. it certainly looks bleak from that perspective. from Korea, Li Hyun Il is still holding the flag for Korea. Park Tae Sang is steadily gaining grounds on international scene. in MD, Kim/Ha Lee/Yoo are still holding the fort but age is not on their side. the lackluster performance from these two pairs recently also isn't giving us much confidence on them. we will have to see if this is a tactical move from the Korean training staff or not. the fact that Kim Moon Soo was on sick leave and Kang somebody was training probably also have an influence on their recent performance. let's hope now that Park Joo Bong return to Korea will give them the lift in time for Olympics. in fact, i think the timing is just right to have them peak around August... wow. but i disgressed. younger players are showing promise especially in XD. Kim/Ra will need a successor...
I think Wong Mew Choo will be an important player for the Malaysian womens team later on. After the retirement of Kim/Ha/Lee/Yoo/Ra Korea really will have to switch from relying on their traditionally strong doubles to their singles. In XD, Lee HJ and Kim YH seem promising and are already third in rankings, but in MD, Kim/Yim are no playing very outstandingly. Lee Hyun Il and Jun Jae Youn will be holding their fort soon.
thanks. i missed Jun Jae Youn on my list. very hardworking lady. i think Li Mao is still coaching the Korean singles right now. fortunately for the other nations that Li Mao isn't in the same caliber and brilliance as Tang Xin Fu.
Missed Park Sung Hwan the Asian Junior Champion who at 19 already entered quarters of Swiss Open. also possible that Japan may produce some os ladies singles like Eriko whowas also semis in Asiads juniors, i think.
It does look grim on the single's side, but in doubles there are a few players worth watching. In my opinion, after having seen him in the Danish National Championships, Carsten Mogensen will be a world class MD player within a couple of years. I was extremely impressed by the level of his confidence, footwork, speed and tactics. He has all the prerequisites, but lacks some experience due to his young age. I suspect he also needs a more consistent partner than Jim Laugesen to reach his full potential... But we'll be seeing more of this guy.
