BIRMINGHAM (England), March 14: China took up where they left off at the Athens Olympics by winning four of the five titles at the All England championships.
Ten of Sunday’s 16 finalists were from China, three of the finals were all-Chinese affairs and Gao Ling and Huang Sui won the women’s doubles for the fifth year in succession, a record in the event at the All Englands.
China’s performance equalled their feat of 1997 and eclipsed Asian rivals Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea.
The Sudirman Cup world team event in Beijing in May appears a formality and rich pickings can be expected at the world championships in August in Anaheim, California.
The capacity crowd at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena came to see home favourites Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms win the mixed doubles and the English pair duly obliged.
They also admired an imposing performance in the men’s doubles by China’s Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng who brushed aside Danish pair Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen 15-10 15-6.
Gao and Huang scored a 15-10 15-13 success over Wei Yili and Zhao Tingting in the women’s doubles.
There was a changing of the guard in the women’s singles where the fast-improving Xie Xingfang triumphed 11-3 11-9 over 29-year-old Zhang Ning, the top seed and one of China’s three badminton gold medallists in Athens.
Defending champion Lin Dan put on a subdued performance in the men’s singles. Lin’s earlier matches, including a lengthy semi-final, appeared to catch up with him in a lacklustre final won 8-15 15-5 15-2 by 2002 champion Chen Hong.
Without producing their best badminton Robertson and Emms, the Olympic silver medallists, edged out unseeded Danes Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 15-10 15-12.
The players were as ecstatic as the crowd as they celebrated the first All England title success by a home pair since 1999 when Simon Archer and Jo Goode also won the mixed.—Reuters
