The Hindu : Sport / Olympic Games : Zhang delivers for China

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 20, 2004

Sport

Sport - Olympic Games

Zhang delivers for China

China's Zhang Ning acknowledges the applause from the crowd after toppling Netherland's Mia Audina to clinch gold. -- AP

ATHENS, AUG. 19. China won the first gold medal of the Olympic badminton tournament on Thursday when world champion Zhang Ning beat Indonesian-born Dutchwoman Mia Audina 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 in the final.

Eight years after winning silver for Indonesia, Audina gave her adopted home country its first badminton medal, but her spirited performance was not enough to beat Zhang, the overwhelming favourite.

Zhou Mi defeated fellow Chinese Gong Ruina 11-2, 8-11, 11-6 in a lacklustre bronze medal game that left the top seed without a medal.

Audina lost the final in the Atlanta Games, but as a 16-year-old was still the youngest medallist in the sport.

At 29, Zhang is the veteran on the team but is only in her first Olympics, since China's talent is so deep.

China was expected to do very well in Athens but a few shock eliminations in the qualifying rounds of the other badminton events made gold and bronze here all the more welcome.

The bronze medal game in the mixed doubles earlier on Thursday was an all-Danish affair, with Jens Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager beating compatriots Jonas Rasmussen and Rikke Olsen 15-5, 15-5.

Zhang lost the opening set of the women's final before coming back strongly. Audina thrilled the crowd at the Goudi Olympic Hall with a series of smashes and dropshots that had Zhang scurrying all over court. A few lucky net calls helped the stocky Dutchwoman race to a 7-1 lead.

At that stage, Zhang stopped making unforced errors and missing easy volleys. Within minutes she levelled the score at 7-7. A disputed line call gave Audina the momentum again as she took a 10-8 lead. On game point, Zhang smashed into the net.

Audina bent over and clinched her fists. Some two-hundred Dutch fans in the hall kept shouting `Mia, Mia, Mia.'The second game started out much more evenly, with the players trading serves. Zhang's smashes helped her to a 7-4 lead and she held the upper hand for the rest of the set, taking it 11-6.

Zhang quickly reached a 3-0 lead in the decider before Audina, cheered on by the Dutch crowd, clawed back to 3-3.Two unforced errors on smashes gave the initiative to Zhang for good. She raced to an 8-5 lead as Audina put easy shots wide.Zhang earned her first match point with a great crosscourt drop shot. — AP

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