China’s failure to defend three of its badminton titles at the Rio Games was a shock for a nation used to dominating the Olympic courts but head coach Li Yongbo called for calm amid a storm of criticism. Four years after winning all five titles at London, China grabbed two gold medals and a bronze to top the medals table, but it was their lowest haul at an Olympics for 20 years. WATCH: golden moments on Day 16 at the Rio Olympics With teams restricted to two entrants in the singles, down from three at London and previous Games, the badminton superpower had fewer chances to win medals. However, the lack of a Chinese woman on the podium for both the singles and doubles was a major setback for a team that had built long dynasties in both events. Li has been the face of Chinese badminton for over a decade and survived a number of controversies by delivering unprecedented results at global and Olympic tournaments. But the 53-year-old has been lambasted online over the team’s performance in Rio, with Chinese social media users demanding his resignation. China will lose at least two of its Olympic gold medallists to retirement, with doubles veteran Fu Haifeng and twice singles champion Lin Dan playing their last Games. 70 to 2: What the Rio Olympics medal tally says about China-India comparisons Zhao Yunlei, who won mixed doubles gold at London and took bronze in Rio, is also tipped to quit before Tokyo in 2020. WATCH: Hong Kong golf star Tiffany Chan shines at the Rio Olympics Li said China had little to fear about the passing of the golden generation but conceded there would be more challenges as rival nations closed the gap. “Sometimes you’re strong, sometimes you fall back,” he said. Why is China’s gold medal count at the Rio Olympics so low? “Indonesia was once strong and Denmark, too. China’s risen up but the champions eventually retire and the next generation comes up slowly. “So there will be some difficulties. This is normal. “But China will still have top players competing in future because we have a lot of juniors competing at high levels. “After these Olympics, our next generation will be strong. Volleyball visionary: coach Lang Ping worth her weight in gold – and more “For a country to maintain its excellence it definitely needs to emphasise systemic talent development and very good training systems. China has, so I am not worried about (the future).” Indonesia, Spain and Japan won the other titles in a high-quality tournament that spread the medals far and wide. “Badminton is developing on all sides,” said Li. “But there is no point judging everyone else’s progress, it’s a matter of concentrating on your own. “It is fair to say we have more difficulties than before but that does not mean we are going to fall behind. It is just others are progressing, so we still need to work hard.”
The female commentator is Dong Kexin, not Zhao Tingting. Earlier in the match, she praised Chen Yufei that she is mature and steady for her age in the way she handled the final situation when four matchpoints down.
With He Bingjiao's victory over Chen Yufei, Xiamen won 3-1 against Zhejiang to take bronze in the 3rd/4th playoff.
No idea, that's the name someone revealed online when another blogger asked who the female commentator was. The zhangyu guy also mentioned her named as Dong Kexin.
The final between the defending champion Qingdao and challenger Guangdong is at 6.30 this evening local time.
Just realized we would've a chance to watch Tang Yuanting partner Huang Kaixiang in the 5th XD match against Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong had Chen Yufei won to make it 2-2 in the tie.
HBJ should have just lost, so we could watch Tang Yuanting play XD. wonder who would do the smash thingy. ..
The lineup for the the final: MD Zhang Nan/Ko Sung Hyun vs Liu Yuchen/Wang Yilu MS Chen Long vs Son Wan Ho WD Luo Ying/Lou Yu vs Yu Xiaohan/Hu Yuxiang WS Hui Xirui vs Sun Yu XD Lu Kai/Luo Ying vs Liu Yuchen/Chen Qingchen I'm surprised Guangdong's Chen Qingchen is not paired with Yu Xiaohan for the WD as well.
The Dragon Chen Long had better tame the Tiger Son Wan Ho tonight or his detractors will feel justified in calling him 'Team Insect, Individual Dragon'.
Yu Xiaohan/Hu played well to defeat Huang DP/Li YH yesterday, maybe thats why besides Chen QC not as good as before IMO too much vacation?
The 3rd matchup, WD Luo Ying/Luo Yu might lose to Yu Xiaohan/Hu Yuxiang. After that I expect Sun Yu to even up for Guangdong beating Hui Xirui. Sun Yu was impressive yesterday the way she disposed of He Bingjiao. I have a feeling the three CHN WS, namely Sun Yu , He Bingjiao and Chen Yufei, will shine this year as Li Xuerui is expected to struggle in her comeback the following months ahead.
Yu Xiaohan/Hu Yuxiang played very well yesterday, Hu Yuxiang's defense was absolutely outstanding. If they play like that today, id' favor them greatly for winning. So it seems the tie might go down to the wire!
