Shuttlers battle it out for badminton glory

Shuttlers battle it out for badminton glory

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post

After 10 days of competition, Sunday marked the end of this
year's Thomas and Uber Cups. While the players may be leaving,
many will be taking with them memories to last a life time.

They chopped deceivingly, smashed deeply and delivered cunning
drop shots and smart flicks over the net -- all part of
lightening-quick plots to bring down their opponents.

They scoured the court, ran to every corner, stretched their
legs wide, and made high dives to defend their country's honor.

And finally it was China which proved it had the mettle to be
the winner in the biennial world team badminton championships.
China's women retained the Uber Cup for four consecutive times,
while their male compatriots won the Thomas Cup for the first
time since 1990.

Indonesia, meanwhile, was left biting its hand. Roaring
spectators inside the 10,000-capacity stadium ended up in silence
after the Danish 3-2 victory, their players proving tough
competitors who were unintimidated by the home crowd.

Adrianti Firdasari's outstanding performance throughout the
competition could not stop the women's team from exiting in the
quarterfinals, while an overwhelming run by three-time Asian
Championship finalists Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Taufik Hidayat was
not enough to bring the defending Thomas Cup champion to the
final.

But you can't keep winning for ever. Indonesia has
relinquished the Thomas Cup trophy it has held a record five
consecutive times since 1994. China will return home
triumphantly, while newcomers New Zealand, South Africa and
Canada have tasted the rigors of the championships for the first
time.

As one journey ends, another begins. There will be plenty of
challenges on the road ahead to the 2006 championships in Tokyo
and Sendai.