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| August 6, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-us-Sani 29, 1426 |
Chinese likely to lead gold haul
LONDON, Aug 5: China will be expecting to lead the gold medal haul at the world badminton championships in Anaheim, California, after heading the seedings in three of the five events. World number one Lin Dan was named top-seed in the men’s singles for the August 15-21 event and the 21-year-old will be keen to make up for his shock defeat in the first round of the Athens Olympics last year.
Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen was seeded second ahead of compatriot Peter Gade, runner-up in the 2001 worlds in Seville.
Bao Chunlai, seeded four, and All England champion Chen Hong, seeded seventh, lend extra weight to the Chinese offensive.
Malaysia have strength in depth through fifth seed and Malaysia Open winner Lee Chong Wei, Hafiz Hashim (8) and 2003 world silver medallist Wong Choong Hann (10). Indonesia’s Olympic Champion Taufik Hidayat is seeded only sixth.
In the draw made on Friday, Lin and Jonassen both received first round byes. Gade should have little trouble from Guatemala’s Pedro Yang and Hidayat has an easy-looking task against Rodrigo Pacheco of Peru.
China’s world and Olympic Champion Zhang Ning tops the women’s singles seeding list and is propped up by compatriot Xie Xingfang as second seed. Both have first round byes.
The Chinese have three pairs at the top of the women’s doubles list, but the men’s doubles title could stay in Danish hands with world number one pairing of Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen as favourites.
In the mixed doubles the seedings point to a re-run of the Athens Olympics final between England’s Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms and gold medallists Zhang Jun and Gao Ling of China.—Agencies
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