China\'s players celebrate with the trophy after their victory over Japan in the 2019 Sudirman Cup world badminton championships in Nanning in China\'s southern Guangxi region on May 26, 2019.
NANNING, KOMPAS — China is never complacent. After winning the Sudirman Cup 11 times, they immediately set other targets. Their next major target is to dominate badminton at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This is a big threat to host country Japan, which was defeated by China 0-3 in the Sudirman Cup badminton championship final on Sunday (5/26/2019) at the Guangxi Sports Center in Nanning, China.
China is the most successful country in badminton, and has won 18 Olympic gold medals. China took home five gold medals from London 2012, but took home only two golds four years later in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, China has continued with athlete regeneration, but this had not produced results by the 2017 Sudirman Cup final in the Gold Coast, Australia, when it was defeated by South Korea.
Young Chinese shuttlers like female singles shuttler Chen Yufei, 21 and male singles shuttler Shi Yuqi, 23, began to shine two years later. The two players clinched China’s success in the Sudirman Cup.
Chen’s technique was mature and showed unyielding determination, defeating Japanese player Akane Yamaguchi, known for her strength in rubber games, 17-21, 21-16, 21-17.
Chen was not discouraged by losing the first game and falling behind in the second game. Her victory gave China a 2-0 lead following Li Junhui-Liu Yu-chen\'s 21-18, 21-10 win over Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe in the men\'s doubles.
Shi Yuqi also emerged victorious after losing his first game to world number one Kento Momota, regaining his footing to win 15-21, 21-5, 21-11.
"Even though we have succeeded in winning the Sudirman Cup 11 times, in facing the Olympics we [will] focus on ourselves. The Sudirman Cup is a stand-alone championship. The Olympics is about a year away. We don\'t need to think much about that now and, instead, are focusing on our preparation," said China singles coach Xia Xuanze and 2003 men\'s singles world champion.
Xia said that China\'s success lay in improving from every failure. For example, after He Bingjiao lost in the Asian Championship women\'s singles final to Akane Yamaguchi, it focused on training for the women’s singles.
Chen Yufei was honed as the mainstay player for the 2019 Sudirman Cup, playing from the
group stage through to the final. She did not play only in the semifinals, because China had won 3-0 over Thailand.
AFP/WANG ZHAO
China\'s Chen Yufei celebrates after defeating Japan\'s Akane Yamaguchi during their women\'s singles final match at the 2019 Sudirman Cup world badminton championships in Nanning in China\'s southern Guangxi region on May 26, 2019.
Xia said Chen’s victory was critical because it boosted confidence in preparing for the 2020 Olympics.
Xia explained that his team prepared for the Sudirman Cup through simulations against Japanese players. The Chinese team simulated match pairings to create scenarios in which it would win 2-0, 2-1 and even 3-0.
He stressed that the men\'s doubles victory was a very good start, because it motivated other players. This became evident when Chen fought determinedly against Yamaguchi. While in the men’s singles, the psychological pressure was greater on Momota. The Chinese team had counted on this as part of their strategy to win the title.
"Two years ago, we lost to South Korea. We took many lessons from that failure as a foundation for today’s successful," said Xia.
Third in a rowChina\'s victory was the third straight in the Sudirman Cup defeat for Japan against the same opponent. Japan lost to Chine four years ago in the final, two years ago in the semifinals, and again in this year’s final. This is a warning to Japan to prepare against China’s challenge in the Olympics.
"I am committed to giving the best in preparing for the Olympics," said Japan\'s head coach Park Joo-bong.
He considered that losing to China was not just a psychological issue. He suspected that some shuttlers had played too many matches, which had affected their physical readiness in tight matches like the final. For example, Momota had played since Kenta Nishimoto lost the group stage opener against Russia
"He [Momota] was very disappointed with himself," said Park, who consoled Momota after the match.
AFP/WANG ZHAO
China\'s badminton coach Zhang Jun lifts up the trophy after their victory over Japan in the 2019 Sudirman Cup world badminton championships in Nanning in China\'s southern Guangxi region on May 26, 2019.
In the midst of the Chinese team’s joyous celebration, Park sat in the athlete’s benches next to Momota, who looked anxious and defeated.
"Momota had to play [every match] because Nishimoto was not very good against Russia, and there really is a gap between Nishimoto and Momota. We have no choice but to always play Momota," said Park.
These two great badminton forces, which are evenly matched in terms of their players’ skills, will continue their rivalry until the 2020 Olympics. Shi and Momota are part of the new generation of top players that have taken over from legendary players like Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan. Japan must fight hard to thwart China\'s dominance in Tokyo.
