Chong Wei drawn to meet Lin Dan in final

It is confirmed. World No. 1 men singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and China’s Lin Dan will be in different halves of the draw in the World Championships, which will be held in Wembley from Aug 8-14.

In the latest world rankings released yesterday, Chong Wei and Lin Dan will be seeded first and second respectively. And if both live up to their billings, they will meet in the final at Wembley.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) are using the July 21 world rankings to determine the seeding for the players and the much awaited draw will be conducted on Monday in Kuala Lumpur.

This will be the fourth time that Chong Wei will be seeded top in the world meet but unfortunately, he has failed to live up to his world No. 1 tag at the last three occasions in 2006 Madrid, 2009 Hyderabad and 2010 Paris respectively.

Lin Dan was the top seed at the 2007 world meet in Kuala Lumpur.

Two other title contenders – Denmark’s Peter-Gade Christensen and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia – will be seeded third and fourth respectively.

If Chong Wei meets Lin Dan in the final, it will be their third big match-up of the year between the archrivals.

At the South Korea Open in January, Lin Dan defeated Chong Wei in the final while the Malaysian exacted revenge over the three-time world champion at the All-England final.

In the men’s doubles, Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, who reached the finals at last year’s world meet in Paris, will be seeded fourth.

The top three seeds are defending champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng of China, Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen of Denmark and South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung.

Courtesy of The Star

Gelaran dunia tetap jadi sasaran Chong Wei

GELARAN pada Kejohanan Badminton Dunia merupakan satu-satunya gelaran yang masih belum berada dalam koleksi Chong Wei.

---

JAGUH badminton perseorangan negara, Datuk Lee Chong Wei berazam untuk mencapai gelaran pertama pada Kejohanan Badminton Dunia 2011 yang akan berlangsung di London pada 8 hingga 14 Ogos ini.
Pemain berusia 29 tahun itu menjelaskan peluang untuk beliau memenangi kejuaraan sulung pada kejohanan berprestij dunia itu kini lebih cerah berbanding tahun lalu.
"Saya memiliki keyakinan disebabkan sudah melakukan persiapan yang lebih baik dan berpeluang mengadakan latihan di London untuk selama dua minggu sebelum Kejohanan Dunia bermula.
"Dengan memenangi hampir semua perlawanan pada Kejohanan Siri Super sebelum ini, saya lihat peluang untuk menggenggam kejuaraan pertama nampaknya lebih cerah.
"Saya anggap latihan awal di London sedikit sebanyak boleh menyesuaikan diri saya dengan keadaan cuaca di sana sebelum kejohanan sebenar berlangsung.
"Cuma saya tidak mahu fikirkan soal tekanan. Saya hanya ingin fokus dan melakukan yang terbaik," katanya ketika ditemui pada majlis menandatangani perjanjian sebagai juru cakap Kolej Universiti Damansara Utama (KDU), Petaling Jaya semalam.
Pemain No. 1 dunia itu dilantik sebagai juru cakap KDU untuk tempoh dua tahun bermula bulan ini hingga Jun 2013.
Turut hadir ialah Pengerusi Eksekutif KDU, Datuk Teo Chiang Quan, Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif KDU, Datin Teh Geok Lian dan Naib Presiden Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM), Datuk Ir. Mohamad Al-Amin Abdul Majid.
Sementara itu, Chong Wei meluahkan rasa lega kerana kecederaan belakang yang dialami ketika Kejohanan Dunia di Paris tahun lalu hampir sembuh.
"Buat masa ini, kecederaan saya masih belum pulih sepenuhnya, tetapi saya ada dua minggu lebih lagi untuk melakukan persediaan. Harap semua baik dalam waktu terdekat," jelas Chong Wei.
Dalam perkembangan lain, Teo memberitahu, Chong Wei dipilih sebagai juru cakap KDU kerana beliau melakar banyak kejayaan dalam sukan badminton selain menjadi inspirasi kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia.
"Umum mengetahui bahawa Chong Wei semakin dikenali sejak tiga tahun lalu kerana sering mengangkat nama negara dalam badminton sehingga beliau digelar pemain No. 1 dunia.
"Justeru, kami ingin menghubungkan Chong Wei dan KDU untuk menaikkan semangat para pelajar di sini bagi mencapai kejayaan cemerlang sebaik sahaja menamatkan pengajian.
"Pemilihan Chong Wei sebagai juru cakap KDU juga dilihat mampu menarik perhatian orang luar untuk mendapatkan pendidikan di KDU yang menawarkan pelbagai kursus menarik.
"Kami anggap Chong Wei sebagai hero Malaysia yang masih menebal dengan sikap merendah diri dan tidak mudah berputus asa. Beliau ialah ikon terbaik untuk KDU," ujar Teo.

2011 BWF World Championships

The most prestigious tournament in Badminton. Competing as individuals in five events, Men’s singles, Women’s singles, Men’s and Women’s doubles and Mixed doubles, success conveys the title of World Champion on the winner(s).
First held in 1977 and originally being held every two years the World Championships has since 2003 been held every year except Olympic years, where the winner of the Olympic title is considered the ‘world champion’ in all but name.
Badminton England have  hosted the prestigious event twice in 1993 and 2003 in Birmingham. The 2011 edition will be the first to be  held in London, England from 08 -14  August 2011. The tournament will be held at 12,500 capacity Wembley Arena  Indoor Stadium and will also be  the venue for the  sport at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The championships will see approximately 400 of the world’s top players representing five continents competing for the title of World Champion.
Tournament Information
List Players Eligible in Phase  I and  II

• M & Q Report Version 1 : Updated 19th July 2011

Draw Ceremony:
The draw ceremony will be  held on Monday 25th July 2011, time 2.00pm BWF headquarters time  at room  Vanda II, Park Royal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Bad back won't stop Chong Wei

A back injury derailed Lee Chong Wei's goal of winning two major events last year but he is not going to allow it to hamper his progress in the World Championships in London on Aug 8-14.
National singles coach Tey Seu Bock said Chong Wei has continued training despite the recurrence of the back injury as it is not serious this time and that the World No 1 is determined to break the jinx in London.

Seu Bock said none of the top players have been experiencing a purple patch except for Chong Wei and despite concerns raised by the injury, the latter is not going to concede defeat this time.
Chong Wei suffered the injury during the World Championships in Paris and was ousted by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia in the quarter-finals. He did better in the Asian Games despite carrying on with the same injury two months later but was outplayed by Lin Dan of China.
"Chong Wei has been nearing his peak and will not be too bothered about the problem this time. He has remained positive and we will go to London with a winning mentality to overcome the odds," said Seu Bock.

"While almost all the top shuttlers have been struggling this year, Chong Wei has been consistent so far. His fitness is not affected but we will remain cautious.
"Chong Wei may lose a bit of an advantage but he will make up with a positive approach.

"I'm not saying he is 100 per cent certain of winning but we can expect him to put up his best performance in the World Championships."

Chong Wei has raised the bar to a level this year that anything less than an appearance in the final in London will be deemed a failure.
Despite the injury, the Malaysian is still the favourite to meet Lin Dan in the final at Wembley Arena and not even his bad back is expected to diminish that possibility this time.
Courtesy of New Straits Times

Pintu masih terbuka buat Zulfadli

ZULFADLI muncul juara Kejohanan Badminton Remaja Asia di Lucknow, India, Sabtu lalu.

---

PERSATUAN Badminton Malaysia (BAM) sentiasa membuka pintu buat pemain perseorangan remaja negara, Zulfa- dli Zulkiffli untuk menyertai program di bawah naungan badan induk tersebut.
Malah Setiausaha Kehormat BAM, Ng Chin Chai berkata, pihaknya telah bebe- rapa kali mengemukakan tawaran kepada Zulfadli sejak beberapa tahun lalu kerana menyedari dia merupakan seorang pemain yang berbakat dan mampu pergi le- bih jauh di pentas antarabangsa.
Bagaimanapun, tawaran demi tawaran yang dikemukakan BAM itu telah ditolak disebabkan bapa Zulfadli yang juga juru- latihnya, Zulkifli Sidek enggan membenar- kan pemain berbakat itu menyertai program badan induk tersebut sejak berusia 13 tahun lagi.
"Kami memang mahu membantu Zulfadli dengan menyediakan dia dengan program-program latihan sebagai persiapan sebelum menyertai mana-mana kejohanan baik dalam mahupun luar negara.
"Kami tidak mempunyai kepentingan lain selain melakukannya demi kepentingan negara.
"Namun saya sendiri tidak pasti apakah punca sehingga membuatkan dia menolak tawaran kami itu.
"Saya rasa lebih baik perkara ini ditanyakan sendiri kepada Zulfadli atau bapanya (Zulkifli) kerana mereka lebih mengetahuinya," kata Chin Chai ketika dihubungi Kosmo! semalam.
Tambah beliau, BAM masih mengalu- alukan kehadiran Zulfadli sekiranya pemain yang bernaung di bawah Kuala Lumpur Racket Club (KLRC) berusia 18 tahun itu berminat menyertai program kendalian badan induk tersebut.
"Kami sentiasa menanti kedatangan Zulfadli. Pada bila-bila masa sahaja dia boleh menyertai kami," tambah Chin Chai.
Meskipun sudah beberapa kali tawaran mereka ditolak, BAM tidak pernah berputus asa apabila sekali lagi akan cuba me- mujuk Zulfadli untuk berada di bawah naungan badan induk sukan badminton tanah air itu.
Malah BAM menagih kualiti yang dimiliki Zulfadli menjelang Kejohanan Badminton Remaja Dunia di Taiwan (Ogos) dan temasya Sukan Komanwel Remaja di United Kingdom, September depan.
Zulfadli kini dilabel sebagai 'permata' paling berharga dalam arena sukan badminton tanah air ekoran kejayaannya muncul selaku juara Kejohanan Badminton Remaja Asia di Lucknow, India, Sabtu lalu.
Kejayaan itu sekali gus menyaksikan Zulfadli mencipta sejarahnya yang tersen- diri apabila menjadi pemain remaja pertama negara yang mengukir nama selaku juara dalam acara perseorangan lelaki selepas 15 tahun kejohanan tersebut dipertandingkan.
Hasil kejayaannya itu, Zulfadli juga disebut-sebut sebagai calon terbaik bagi menggantikan jaguh perseorangan negara yang juga pemain No. 1 dunia, Datuk Lee Chong Wei suatu hari nanti.

Sumber: Kosmo 12 Julai

Zulfadli’s feat shows he can be an able replacement for Chong Wei

Three points were made clear when youngster Zulfadli Zulkifli accomplished the historic feat of becoming Malaysia’s first boy’s singles badminton champion at the Asian Junior Championships in Lucknow, India on Sunday.
Firstly, his breakthrough showed that there are talents in Malaysia to take over the mantle from world No. 1 singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei, who plans to slow down after the London Olympic Games next year.
Yesterday, the 18-year-old Zulfadli raised a glimmer of hope for a better future in the singles department when he beat India’s Verma Sameer 21-15, 21-17 to end Malaysia’s agonising 14-year wait for the elusive title.
He has put himself as one of the strong contenders to become the country’s first singles champion at the World Junior Championships, which will be held in Taiwan in October.
China’s current stars like Lin Dan, Chen Jin, Chen Long and South Korea’s Park Sung-hwan all went on to have successful senior careers after winning the Asian junior title and hopes are high for Zulfadli to follow suit.
With proper guidance and grooming Zulfadli can be Malaysia’s flag bearer in all major tournaments leading to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil .
“This is a great start for me. I hope to achieve more good results. I still have a long way to go but I am determined to work hard in my mission to become the country’s top player” said Zulfadli.
Secondly, Zulfadli’s win is also seen as a big boost for independent shuttlers and clubs. Clubs and private badminton academies will now be more motivated to continue with their efforts to produce champions to complement the work done by the Bad­min­ton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
The lanky Zulfadli’s win is unique in a way because he did not come through the BAM’s centralised training system. In fact, he benefited mainly from his father Zulkifli Sidek’s personal coaching and also due to some short stints with state teams. He was also lucky that KL Rackets (KLRC) funded him for local and international tournaments.
His breakthrough certainly gives hope to those aspiring shuttlers who had failed to make the yearly selection into the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), where the BAM’s best juniors are housed.
Finally, Zulfadli’s achievement in India has in a way raised concern over the junior programme in BAM – especially in the singles department.
He has been successful when many other BAM shuttlers had failed. Over the last few years, three shuttlers – Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin and Loh Wei Sheng froze in their respective final appearances and settled for the runner-up spots in the Asian junior meet.
The success of an outsider surely raises many questions on what has been happening inside BJSS.
Do they have the right coaches to groom the singles players? Are the right singles players selected into the BJSS? Are the international exposures enough for the juniors in BJSS to toughen them up mentally? What gets priority in BJSS – studies or sports?
Courtesy of The Star

Kedah Open: Chong Wei to compete

LEE Chong Wei, who initially wanted to skip the Kedah Open on July 13-16 fearing that it may hamper his preparations for the World Championships in London on Aug 8-14, will compete in the tournament after all.
Chong Wei, the World No 1, confirmed he will play in Alor Star as this will be the only opportunity for him to qualify for the National Grand Prix Finals in December and earn his 10th consecutive national title.

All players gearing up for the World Championships, except for women's doubles Wong Pei Tty who is undergoing rehabilitation after her troubled knee acted up again, will be competing in Alor Star.
Chong Wei, last month, hinted that he may skip the event should it not be postponed but now has no choice but to compete.
"Although it is during the final phase of my preparations for the World Championships, I will play in the Kedah Open as I didn't play in the Kuala Lumpur Open earlier. I have no choice as I need to play to qualify for the GP Finals," said Chong Wei.

"I will continue training during the tournament in Alor Star. There is not much time left after the Kedah Open as we will be leaving for a training stint at the University of Bath on Aug 26."
National singles coach Rashid Sidek confirmed that Chong Wei's training programme will continue as usual in Alor Star.

"The international calendar is so packed that there is no slot for the Kedah Open to be held later in the year. Chong Wei will play and train at the same time in Alor Star," said Rashid. "Since the local event will not be very taxing, his training will go on as usual."

BAM secretary Ng Chin Chai said the coaching and training committee (CTC), which meets today, will make a final decision on whether or not to exempt a World Championship-bound player from the Kedah Open.
The big worry is the risk that players could pick up injuries or fall ill with the tournament being held close to the World Championships and Chong Wei, in prime form and a good bet to win in London, would not want to chance anything.

However, the CTC is also unlikely to make any exemptions as Chong Wei is the main draw card in any local tournament and BAM will want him to play in Alor Star.

The draw for the Kedah Open will be conducted tomorrow.
Courtesy of New Straits Times