South Korean pair Lee/Hwang lock target for men's doubles gold at Beijing Olympics
13/8/2008 18:15
Lee Jae Jin and Hwang Ji Man carried the golden dream for South Korea in
men's doubles after their favorites Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung ousted in the
first round.
Lee and Hwang, ranked No. 13 in the world, beat Keita Masuda and
Tadashi Ohtsuka from Japan 21-12, 18-21, 21-9 at Beijing University of
Technology Gymnasium in Beiijing today.
"After South Korea won a gold (in the
Men's Doubles) in Athens, badminton has become very important in Korea," said
Hwang. "We will go for the gold medal, but we want to focus on the semifinal
first."
"We were playing well as a team today, showing good unity and
encouraging each other," said Hwang, attributing their victory to the chemistry
between them.
On the reason for the defeat, Masuda said that they cannot keep
up with the South Korean's pace, as they were younger.
According to Ohtsuka,
it is their last Olympics.
"We have played together for 12 years, and we feel
satisfied with our achievement today," said the 30-year-old Japanese.
"Throughout 12 years in badminton, we have seen the sport rising in popularity
in Japan. We are happy to see that."
Xinhua
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