The Badminton Association of Thailand is worried that its players may fail to meet its target at the Asian Games after their poor results at the world championships in Copenhagen.
Seventh seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam lost to top-ranked Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei of China 21-13, 21-9 in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
The defeat ensured there are no Thais left in the tournament.
The BAT has announced a target of at least a gold medal at the Sept 19-Oct 4 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and BAT president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul has now been forced to admit that the players may fail to deliver at the quadrennial event.
“The world championships were a warm-up tournament for the Asian Games,” she said.
“We will evaluate the players based on their performances at the world championships. We may have to change our training plan to make sure that they will be well-prepared for the Asian Games.”
Khunying Patama said that she is satisfied with the players’ fitness after the BAT started using sports science to help them recently.
The BAT will closely monitor the fitness levels of Boonsak Ponsana and Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who both withdrew from the world championships due to injury.
Malaysian world No.1 Lee Chong Wei secured a third straight men’s singles final appearance at the world championships yesterday while women’s top seed Li Xuerui of China also advanced to the title match.
Top-ranked Lee, twice a runner-up at the tournament, brushed aside young Danish hopeful Viktor Axelsen 21-9, 21-7 in front of a partisan Copenhagen crowd to move within striking distance of a first major title.
Despite his advancing years Lee, who will turn 32 in October, demonstrated his enduring class with a sublime blend of blistering overheads and resolute defence to reel off 12 of the final 13 points in the first game and never looked back.
The Malaysian star, also a two-time Olympic singles silver medallist, then pocketed 21 of 25 points after trailing 3-0 early in the second set to complete a comprehensive victory over the 14th seed.
“So far things have got better each match,” said Lee, who will face the winner of the match between Chinese second seed Chen Long and Indonesia’s fifth-ranked Tommy Sugiarto in today’s final.
“The country will be watching and there will be more pressure on my shoulders."
Meanwhile, Li ended the run of Japanese dynamo and 16th seed Minatsi Mitani to seal a return to the women’s singles final.
World No.1 Li, who was runner-up a year ago on home soil in Guangzhou, dominated from the beginning against Mitani, sporting a heavily strapped right leg, unable to offer much resistance as Li powered to a 21-8, 21-14 victory.
Mitani had claimed the scalp of defending champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the last 16 before upsetting South Korean fifth seed Sung Ji-hyun in the quarter-finals but there were no repeat heroics this time.