Well, a 'good' failure may shake the entire structure... so let's see after Rio OG, do they review and overhaul the whole system with some tangible changes... time will tell. But if they get the gold(s) they may feel that think is okay, just a slip.
It's high time Chen Long comes out and release a Statement like this : ''I cost China another Thomas Cup''. Had LD played MS1 and THW MS2, China would be in the finals tomorrow.
Psssstttt, if The Dragon gets the Oly gold you'll regret to ever say like this who knows if they prioritize more (and much more in multiple magnitude not simply more) the upcoming Rio thus set the peak there instead of here... I will just formulate my thought post-Rio. In this case hindsight is better and safer
Man,how can you cost your team twice ? Wasn't 2014 enough? I mean ever after winning two World Championships, still same mental mushroom ?
Zhierl's prognostication sounded ominous, dire. Still I more than half agree with him. I'd makle bold to suggest that Li Yongbo retires after Rio OG, whatever Team CHN's achievement there, and CBA appoint Cai Yun (or someone else well-suited) to take over him as Head Coach. LYB has been too long at the helm, 23 years tenure and unmatched accomplishments already qualify him as one of the, if not the, greatest Head Coach/coach in history but, as in all things in life, times have changed, new ways of doing things , new perspectives arise, and also LYB's personal drive and motivation is difficult to maintain at a high level as he ages well past 50, esp for someone who've been through so much for so long,a certain degree of over-familiarity, set habits and weariness may set in. Just my 2 cents.
Nope, the reason why Chinese media & Li Yongbo kept trying to set him up as the new "star/leader of Chinese badminton" is due to the fact that NO ONE in China considers him the new "leader/star of Chinese badminton". Badminton fans who follow the pro-circuit DON'T really want to watch his playing style; while casual/non sports fans don't know who he is and don't really care about the pro-circuit or world ranking-- just maybe international/team events where athletes are competing for their countries. You don't even have to know who LD, LCW or VA is to start cheering for the way they play; and conversely, no one will start taking a second look at CL (if he continues playing the way he does) even if he wins an Olympic gold-- not to say he isn't a good or respectable athlete, but not all gold medals are of equal worth...and not all players are worthy of equal attention.
I just can't put a finger on it. What is it about CL's play style that makes it boring to watch? Say as compared to LD or LCW. Is it because he doesn't have his own special moves specific to him? Like LCW has his own diving defence. And LD has his own cross court jump smash.
http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2016-05-23/doc-ifxsktkr5912013.shtml What's Yang Yang's take on the Rio Olympics and Chen long's rout at the Thomas Cup ? My humble translation follows : Kunshan May 22nd news. The legendary Yang Yang opined that for the upcoming Rio Olympics two months later, he believed that Lin Dan, Lee CW and Chen Long will have greater chances at gold than other young players because these three have an abundance of big-match experience, something that other young contestants are short of. The 53-year-old Yang Yang when interviewed by reporters was asked how the Big Three ( Lin Dan, Lee CW and Chen Long) should prepare for the Rio Olympics replied: " The Olympics is a big event, these three persons will make adjustments to their form, particularly the older athletes Lee CW and Lin Dan, whether it's their mentality, fitness and training aspects, they will carry out their final preparations and adjustments." He added :" When playing the big matches,the main thing is match experience,they are already accustomed to playing on the big occasions. If they can play normally to their tactics, fitness and form, it shouldn't be a problem. To the senior athletes, the more they face challenges and hindrances,I believe these older athletes can handle much better." Yang Yang also gave his analysis of the three competitors' current strengths:" Having seen LCW's matches at the Thomas Cup, his form is still not bad, as an older experienced athlete, I believe he will, prior to the Olympics, make good adjustments to his form, including his physical and technical state." He went on to point out:" Lee CW displayed a very steady level, young players find it hard to beat him, unless they are able to break through, esp put pressure on him in physical capability and speed, only in this way can they break through his defence." Yang Yang said:" Lin Dan's form is a bit weaker. As Lin Dan played MS2 for CHN in the earlier Thomas Cup matches, no opponent was able to pose a challenge to him, that's why Lin Dan has not played to his full capacity yet. Owing to CHN not being able to enter the final, Lin Dan has yet to meet an opponent who could challenge or threaten him." In additional, Yang Yang said:" Chen Long needs to raise himself tactically and mentally. Chen long in terms of physicality still possessed a big advantage, esp when the match goes the full distance (to three sets)." When asked which new generation players can take over the Big Three, Yang Yang answered:" Currently haven't seen any from the new generation performing very well,although they can push the Big three a bit, but to break the Big Three's dominance they still need to raise their game a lot." In 1989, Yang after capturing the All England became the first person in the world to garner the Thomas Cup,the World Championships, the World Cup and the All England, all four titles (equivalent to the Grand Slam). In the former arena of " The Four Heavenly Kings", namely, Yang Yang, Zhao Jianhua, Icuk Sugiarto, Morten Frost - Yang Yang's results counted as the best,thus Yang Yang was also lauded as " The King of Kings" back then. CHN at the Thomas Cup quarterfinals was upset by KOR, the once Thomas Cup outstanding achiever Yang Yang during the interview said he disagreed with the view that it's Li Yongbo's trusting Chen Long too much hence the wrong lineup that brought about CHN's elimination. Yang Yang explained :" It's not that Chen Long is in poor form, just that he didn't do well in tactics and mentality,and I always thought that Chen Long has the edge over Son Wan Ho. Regardless of whether it's attack, defence, fitness and speed, Chen Long is superior in all, only that Chen Long's tactical execution is not up to par." On CHN's overall team performance, Yang Yang indicated :" I should say KOR played better, CHN only has the advantage in the three MS, that's why CHN must not fail in singles as CHN is inferior in both the doubles, the outcome of previous meetings and the lineup proved this point. Therefor, CHN 's doubles to challenge KOR's, and KOR's singles to challenge CHN's, in that case the crux is still Chen Long's Men's Singles match; unfortunately, Chen Long was unable to hold on to this one crucial point, allowing KOR the opportunity to cause an upset." Post-retirement Yang Yang once coach the MAS team, and helped MAS repeat their Thomas Cup success in 1992. Having left home to make his way in the world, Yang Yang in 2003 decided to return to Nanjing, China, to develop his career. Relying on his personal influence, Yang Yang's start-up badminton club in Nanjing expanded rapidly, to date it has grown to three clubs comprising 30 over badminton courts. Speaking about the current situation, Yang Yang said he's now mainly involved in managing the brand name of his badminton club, in addition to grooming kids in badminton.After more than 10 years of diligent work, Yang Yang has successfully evolved from a badminton star to a coach and now a businessman, completing life's splendid transformation.
I think Lu Kai is best suited to partner Zheng Siwei in the doubles. LK's speed matches ZS and he has a lethal smash. I hope CBA will allow this pairing for future tournaments. As for the ladies doubles, Chen Qingchen and Tan Yuanting is another new pairing which should be continued for the future. They play with such a happy spirit at the Uber Cup and this is good for any doubles pairing. HBJ fared poorly in the Indonesian Ope n. Her performance is very strange. Having beaten many top ranked players in recent tournaments she took part in, she displayed none of her skills and potential. There is no improvement in her game at all. Unlike Sun Yu who has showed much progress. As for the junior mens singles, HY as usual showed his inconsistency and made so many unforced errors in his game against IMM. He relies too much on speed and cannot vary his game. I hope the CBA will put their trust on more juniors as they did in the Thomas and Uber Cup. All the juniors who performed well in the China Masters should be made to play in future tournaments.
Well, expect to see a sea of changes post-Rio OG... just my intuition I expect them to involve the army of juniors actively in int'l circuit and revamp the doubles esp the WD to pair the young stars instead of relying upon the old woods or mixing them. Right now Oly is everything for them, all other things will have to wait.
Again the junior MS and WS performed disappointingly HY went out early and HBJ played the usual "practice" game. Its as if she doesn't want to win against her seniors. Its really boring to watch them playing like this. It would be so much more interesting to watch some new juniors performing.
source : https://www.facebook.com/BadmintonLiveNews/photos/?tab=album&album_id=889114551199432 中国队前往成都封闭集训 谌龙王适娴一同出发
Actually those nice pictures came from Sina Sports as per below link: Beijing, on June 16, 2016 the China's national badminton team set out from Beijing to Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan, China's southwestern province on closed training sessions for 40 days, to fully prepare for the upcoming Rio Olympic Games. http://slide.sports.sina.com.cn/o/slide_2_74776_103789.html P.S: FIVB WGP's Week 2 kicks off this Friday
Yes, thanks. It is mentioned in the facebook link. I just posted my source. Maybe I should have mentioned sina sports too. Thanks again.
The China National Individual Badminton Championships 2016 held over eight days at Hefei just concluded today. http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2016-06-23/doc-ifxtmwei9137773.shtml (Not all the elite national players participated, Lin Dan, Chen Long, Tian Houwei, Wang Zhengming, Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian and virtually all the top doubles players were absent). The results as follows: WS Champion - Chen Yufei beating He Bingjiao, 21-19 and 21-19. It was Chen Yufei's maiden national title. Chen Yufei:" This match brought me a lot of confidence. In our previous encounters, I lost more than I won. This time I just let myself go." MS Champion - Zhao Junpeng beating Shi Yuqi , 21-19, 14-21,and 21-19. Zhao Junpeng:" We're quite familiar with each other. In G1, my opponent was faster, in G2 and G3 I maintained my rhythm well, defended ably, and grabbed attacking opportunities." WD Champion - Li Yinhui/Du Yue beating Zhou Chaomin/Chen Lu, 21-16 and 21-12 "Mentality-wise, just play to my ability, go all out," said Li Yinhui confidently. MD Champion - Liu Xiaolong/Ou Xuanyi beating Wang Sijie/Zhuge Lu, 22-20 and 21-14. "At first both of us somewhat lack mutual understanding, later we play better and better, become more confident. This is also my first national championship," said Liu Xiaolong. XD Champion - Wang Zekang/Wu Yingshi beating Pei Tianyi/Wu Qianqian, 21-18 and 21-15.
