So the stage is finally set for the first World Championships in India. Never has such a star cast landed on Indian soil.
So the stage is finally set for the first World Championships in India. Never has such a star cast landed on Indian soil, leave alone so many exceptional champions coming together for a tournament in the country. It is without doubt the largest badminton spectacle that Indian fans will have the privilege of experiencing.
Among the international stars, the spotlight would be on Lin Dan, Taufik Hidayat, Lee Chong Wei, Peter Gade, Zhou Mi, Xie Xingfang — all supreme athletes in an excruciating sport.
As Jwala Gutta put it, it will be “the opportunity of a lifetime” not just for Indian players, but for fans as well.
Danish great Peter Gade put things in perspective while speaking of the importance of the Worlds, “This is different, it’s special. There are three big things you want to win — the Olympics, the Worlds and the All England. I’ve always wanted to win the World Championships gold. I have two silver medals and a bronze, and I really want to win the gold. It doesn’t matter if there are many more tournaments, it doesn’t matter if we (Danish team) don’t make money out of this, but we want to do well.”
The World Championships will be a landmark event in Indian badminton history, for it is after nearly three decades (1980 Worlds team to Jakarta, led by Prakash Padukone) that so much expectation has been built around the Indian team. The Indians have contenders in all events except the women’s doubles, and there has been much attention already on events that were ignored until recently, such as the mixed doubles and men’s doubles.
For the international observer, however, the point of interest would be whether Lin Dan manages to win a third successive title — a feat no other singles player has achieved.
Or will the tormented Lee Chong Wei, despite so many Super Series wins in recent times, finally achieve salvation with the one title that he seeks so desperately?
As China’s chief coach Li Yongbo said, it is only if Lee can beat Lin that he can claim to be the best player in the world. Chong Wei is No.1 — but even he won’t consider himself the best player on the planet.
Or will the moody maverick Taufik Hidayat amass the resolve to have possibly his last tilt at the world title? And Peter Gade — can he summon the reserves of strength at 33? If any of these three win, it will change the fortunes of badminton in their home country. Indonesia and Denmark need this kind of impetus the most.
Saina herself carries that possibility. A good show will dramatically change Indian badminton but she has to get past some formidable challengers. China’s Xie Xingfang is best equipped to win the title, despite being a veteran, and a seeming lack of motivation lately. No other contender has Xingfang’s record — three successive All England titles and two world titles, besides a number of other majors. The other three Chinese are contenders as well — 2009 All England champion Wang Yihan, Wang Lin and Lu Lan, all winners of Super Series events.
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