|
|
China claims record 5th consecutive Thomas title
Thomas Cup in the Chinese City of Wuhan, China went against South Korea in this afternoon’s final. A win would give the host nation the men’s team cup for the 9th time, and match the women’s team triumph in the Uber Cup on Saturday.
Chinese No.1 Lin Dan took on South Korea’s Lee Hyun Il in the opener. Lee beat Danish veteran Peter Gade in the semi-finals.
Lin battled in his 6th Thomas Cup and aimed to get China off to a solid start. The left-hander took command from the start. Lee Hyun Il couldn’t match Lin’s forehand smash and "Super Dan" won the first game 21-14.
Lee tried to match Lin’s strength in the second game...he nailed a forehand winner and the South Korean number one tied the score at 17.
But Lin played steady the rest of the way. He advanced to triple game point and finally closed Lee out, giving China the first match win of the day...the host nation went in front.
China’s Olympic champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng faced the South Korean doubles pairing of Lee Yong Dae and Kim Sa Rung. The first game went the Chinese pair’s way, 21-16.
1104352C5-0.jpg
China's Lin Dan (3rd R) helds up the trophy during the award ceremony for the Thomas Cup world badminton team championships in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on May 27, 2012. China defeated South Korea 3-0 to claim the title. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)
But Lee and Kim picked up the pace in the second. They put Cai and Fu on the defensive and the Koreans held game point at 20-19.
Then Cai and Fu managed to pull away during a tense final few points. The second game final read 25-23. China moved to a 2-0 lead after game two.
The home team stood a match win away from its 5th trophy in a row. Chen Long took on Shon Wan Ho from South Korea, and he was ready for the clincher. Chen won the first game 21-9.
But mistakes began to creep up midway through the second...Chen let Shon keep it close and cut the deficit to two.
Then, Chen regained his poise at the end. This was his first Thomas Cup, and the Chinese debutant closed out the game 21-13 to wrap up victory for China 3-0. Chen and his teammates didn’t lose a single game Sunday afternoon in claiming China’s 5th straight Thomas Cup since 2004. The squad’s next challenge comes at the London Olympics.
11043510N-1.jpg
China's Coach Li Yongbo helds up the trophy during the
award ceremony for the Thomas Cup world badminton team
championships in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province,
on May 27, 2012. China defeated South Korea 3-0 to
claim the title. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)
Li Yongbo, Head Coach of China National Badminton Team, "Winning the cup helps a lot in boosting the team’s confidence, but we have to learn from it. Even though we won the Thomas Cup, the Olympic Games will be another matter. So we will try to learn from the experience of winning the two cups. And I hope we can become stronger in the final stage of Olympic preparations."
Lin Dan, Thomas Cup Winner, said, "It was through a combined effort that we won the championship. The singles games are different from team events. And I’m really happy about realizing our dreams together with my teammates. "
110435A22-2.jpg
Team China pose during the award ceremony for the Thomas Cup world badminton team championships in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on May 27, 2012. China defeated South Korea 3-0 to claim the title. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)
110435LD-3.jpg
Team China pose during the award ceremony for the Thomas Cup world badminton team championships in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on May 27, 2012. China defeated South Korea 3-0 to claim the title. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) |
|
发表于 2016-7-12 22:01:04