Sport is 'cruel', says Lin after Lee injury Channel NewsAsia, Singapore 12 Aug 2013 12:51 AM Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan called badminton a "cruel" sport after his arch rival Lee Chong Wei had to withdraw with cramp in the closing stages of their much-anticipated world title showdown. GUANGZHOU: Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan called badminton a "cruel" sport after his arch rival Lee Chong Wei had to withdraw with cramp in the closing stages of their much-anticipated world title showdown. Fans had been hoping for another classic final between the two badminton legends, with Lee gunning for his first world title in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. However, it was Olympic champion Lin who took the world men's singles gold for the fifth time as Lee's dreams of victory against his nemesis were shattered in the third game, with the umpire announcing he was retiring injured down 20-17. He was taken to hospital due to cramp, according to a spokeswoman for badminton's world body the BWF. "Both Chong Wei and I gave an excellent performance to the fans," Lin said. "He got this cramp out there and it reminded me of my training -- when you have that, you cannot move at all. From that moment, we were not opponents any more. I really wanted to help and I went over to ask if he was okay. He didn't want to give up." Newly married Lin was returning after almost a year on the sidelines to spend time with his family and entered the tournament on a controversial wildcard because of his fan appeal, a move criticised by Lee. "When the coach told me I had a wildcard, I was surprised because there were only two months to prepare -- so many people doubted how far I could go because I hadn't played world tournaments for half a year," Lin said. "But today's match shows is your attitude that counts. "Both of us tried our best -- there is no winner or loser. Badminton is a cruel sport. You don't just need skills and talent, you also need luck." With China's pairs losing in the mixed doubles and men's doubles, Lin said it would have been "embarrassing" if he had not won his match in front of a home crowd. "If I had lost we would only have won one gold medal and since we are in Guangzhou it would have been embarrassing," he said. "But the good thing is I'm not the head coach." With the air conditioning off in the second and third games, the temperature in the stadium soared and spectators fanned themselves furiously to cool down. Players have been complaining about the "drift" of the shuttlecock because of the air conditioning throughout the tournament. When asked if the lack of air conditioning in the final had given him an advantage, Lin said: "When you fully focus in the match you don't think too much about the atmosphere and the climate. Even if the temperature goes up, we will both sweat the same." Asked if he had noticed any effect on the shuttle during his clash with Lee he said: "The shuttle is very light so it will be affected by a lot of factors, especially wind and light. "This kind of impact will not only affect the performance of the players but also the whole quality of the match. Because of that, a lot of players want to play in Europe because of the good light and wind there, which gives them a better performance." - AFP/fa Lee Chong Wei (C) is carried on a stretcher by medical personnel after he suffered cramps during the third set in the 2013 BWF World Championships men's final against Lin Dan. (AFP PHOTO)
Thank you guys, what I hope is this is the first step on way back to the status that at least one country can seriously challenge China in major team events like Thomas cup because I remember the days we (young students like me) were deeply worry if China can win the cup even with great players like Yang Yang and Zhao Jiang Hua in the team, of course LYB was there too. I am sure that the fans can tell us how many time they lost during that period. Since then, CBA has introduced lots of good program to bring the Chinese team into today's position. We will see more young Chinese players coming to the international platform after the Chinese National Games next month which is held every four years just after the Olympics to discover new blood for the next Olympics (i.e. Rio 2016). For an example, currently in MS department, China already has XS and THW (who beat LCW in AUS open this year) waiting in the wing while CL/DPY/WZM are still not peak yet. Overall, what I am trying to say is that we have a good start in WC 2013 but lot more work need to be done. Badminton will be more popular if other nations can catch up with China or at least it will make the game more attractive.
i think as the news spread over Thailand, we will get a lot of Thai viewers who tuned into youtube to admire their very talented, young, polite, cheerful and last but not least, skillful world champion. absolutely awesome.
Cai Yun came and talked with us after he lost, he will be back to his hometown to care the daughter...I asked him about his next year plan...he is not sure and may play few tournaments...he finds it getting tough to play younger players...
Is anything wrong with his daughter that he must take care of her? And this Cai Yun guy, is he a nice person off the court? Thank you!
With new leadership in BWF, i think they would rested all the old tricks and came with new one. But would be better if they not came with any.
No wonder, he even looks like a Thai! But I used to see May with a different and younger Thai coach, when she played in Singapore.
Even with only two months of preparation, I never doubted Lin Dan's abilities, his commitment and discipline. That's why I was confident he could win.
so they tried new one such as A/C?haha lcw said that this affected the result. in the latest interview(goes viral again) anyway,its still the old self of cba jiang yan jiao walkover,claim injured. if she had played and won,next round will meet against li xue rui. so,haha.
More importantly, China still has the Thing. We all have to keep reminding the current and future PBSI that because of our blind government in the past, INA went from being great to mediocre and China gone from being one of the best to near invicible. Especially in Men Singles.
Li Yong Bo 2 : Rexy Maniaky 2 LYB now have a fine adversary in RM - this proved that for any country to succeed in the game, must appoint those who knows the game at a high level and let them the freedom to do their job.
Poor LCW. Next time Malaysia should host WC and give him a home advantage too. What do you expect from her seriously? Walkover, and you guys will saying she fake it. Playing and make it to the next round to face team mate, and you guys will still blaming her to not playing seriously.
he will still lost anyway, like 2007 wc,too much pressure he claim. didnt expect anything,just saying since she walkover