Lin Dan turns focus to London Olympics after Thomas Cup success – Badminton Update
China’s prime Singles shuttler Lin Dan is now gearing up to excel in London Olympics after hitting the mark in recently concluded Thomas Cup Finals 2012.
World Number two shuttler will be contesting to defend his crown in mega event which will be staged from July 27, 2012.
Lin, while talking about his prospects in London Games, admitted that overall standards of game have gone up as compare to Beijing Olympics when he secured honour four years ago.
However, he looked confident to repeat the history and vowed to keep his head high against every contender.
Lin said, "The men's singles has become more competitive four years after the Beijing Olympics. I will keep fighting whoever stands across the net."
The coming edition of Olympics will see many legends of the arena showcasing their craft for the last time as veterans like Peter Hoeg Gade and Taufik Hidayat have announced to bid adieu after London Games.
Meanwhile, two badminton greats Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei are also expected to hang up rackets in couple of years and this made the Chinese ace bit sad.
He mentioned Taufik and Peter Gade who gave their last appearance in Thomas Cup and could not stop thinking about his time to call it a day.
Lin Dan said, "It's the last Thomas Cup for my old friends Peter Gade and Taufik Hidayat. I can't help wondering about how many more Thomas Cups I will play."
The 28-year-old star may not be sure about his next Thomas Cup outing but he definitely ended this year’s edition in a style.
He stamped Korean campaigner Lee Hyun Il with decisive figures of 21-14 and 21-17 and helped his country to seal 3-0 win in title match of prestigious team event.
World Number seven shuttler Hyun Il, who also is at verge of retirement, looked amazed while praising his competitor’s unbeatable skills.
He said, "I've been playing with Lin for almost a decade. He's always able to play sharp and quick kills."
It was 16th encounter between these two seasoned shuttlers. Lin Dan seized 13th victory over his arch-rival and alarmed all the top contenders who are dreaming to secure honour in London Olympics.
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