Zhang Jun and Gao Ling
------Badminton duo need to re-find form
cctv.com 07-21-2004 13:40
In sports as in life, teamwork is crucial for any pair to succeed. In the Chinese national badminton team, Zhang Jun and Gao Ling are widely considered a perfect match. Their outstanding individual skills which complement each other led to a brilliant performance and well-deserved gold medal at the Sydney Olympics. But since then, things have not got quite as smoothly. Now, we'll take a look at the pair who wants to bring the gold back home again.
Every athlete wants to avoid making the same mistake, but China's leading mixed doubles pair Zhang Jun and Gao Ling have done just that. They have been upset 7 times in 3 years by arch-rivals, Kim Dong-Moon and Ra Kyung-Min of South Korea in their last 8 meetings.
Zhang Jun said, "Kim Dong-Moon has deeply influenced me by giving me a lot of pressure to improve my skills. When I meet European players, I feel sure to win if I play well. While meeting him, even if I try my best, I can still lose."
Such a huge losing streak has even led to mistrust within the pair, which Gao says sometimes exacerbates the problem.
Gao Ling said, "We were not playing together during the Thomas and Uber Cups, so we are not cooperating as well as we should. We've never thought that we would lose so many matches, but everything has gone against us. We feel extremely sad and are sorry about the poor job we've done. We could have played better."
Back in 2000, it was quite a different story. In the mixed doubles quarter-final at the Sydney Olympics, Zhang Jun and Gao Ling overwhelmingly beat the South Korean pair in an exciting match that went down in badminton history.
In the final, however, the Chinese pair had to battle Trikus and Minarti Timur of Indonesia, then ranked number one in the world. China unexpectedly lost the 1st set 15-1, and the result seemed a foregone conclusion.
But The Chinese pair shaped up and unleashed waves of fierce counter-attacks in the make-or-break 2nd set, which they won 15-13. Their momentum did not subside and the two led the deciding set to the end to secure their first-ever Olympic gold.
But since then, things haven't gone so smoothly. As the Athens Olympics is fast approaching, time has become increasingly pressing for the defending champions to retain their best form, and many national coaches are trying to help.
This won't be any easy job. Gao Ling is playing in the women's doubles as well, and Zhang Jun needs to help his partner keep her energy in consecutive intense matches. And above all, they have to conquer the South Korean duo who are at the peak of their careers. But they say confidently that after months of training, they are ready for the challenge.
Zhang Jun said, "Defeat can be a good thing. Though I lost to Kim several times, I do not feel under too much pressure because most of his past victories were not decisive at all. He will probably feel that to win is quite normal and to lose is not. The pressure is on him now."
And Gao Ling added, "It does not matter if is the mixed doubles or the women's doubles, I must try my best. I will be responsible for my performance at the Olympic Games. Though I have to play in two events, I won't secure one at the cost of the other."
Both of them hope that they can practice together more frequently to improve their coordination. They say although they are not a couple off the badminton court, they often miss each other because it is badminton that has brought them together. All they need to do now is regain the form that led them to the podium in Sydney.
Editor:Wang Source:CCTV.com
