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Smashing success China proves to be the dominant badminton powerLatest: Friday September 29, 2000 11:59 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) - China swept through the badminton doubles competition, winning all three medals on Saturday. Favorites Ge Fei and Gu Jun won gold, defeating Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei 15-5, 15-5. China's Gao Ling and Qin Yiyuan earlier beat South Koreans Chung Jae-hee and Ra Kyung-min 15-10, 15-4 for the bronze. Danish dreams were dashed Friday when two stars fell. Camilla Martin, the first non-Asian women to enter Olympics medal play, was beaten by China's Gong Zhichao for the gold, 13-10, 11-3. Danes suffered more disappointment Saturday when Xia, who is ranked No. 5, overcame Gade, 15-13, 15-5, for the bronze as Martin, intensity etched on her face, watched her teammate and fiancee from courtside. "I was quite satisfied at the beginning. He didn't look so fresh, so I was confident," Gade said. "Suddenly, I started losing my pace, losing control of he game, not making the most normal shots." Along with the Danes, the British have prevented an all-Asian medals sweep. They took a bronze in mixed doubles, earning Britain's first Olympic medal in the sport. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the South Koreans emerged the winners with two golds while China, Indonesia and Denmark took one apiece. At Sydney, the South Koreans have managed only a single bronze in men's doubles. The Malaysians, who are also among the world's badminton powers, were also disappointed at Sydney. They are going home with nothing after a silver and a bronze in Atlanta. "I'm not surprised at the way the Chinese played. They have played the same way for many years," Gade said after losing his match. Some of the Chinese players credit their success to very rigorous training and an emphasis on psychological preparation for events like the Olympics. Gade struggled to explain his own loss, saying he was in top form when he arrived at Sydney. "It is of course a very major disappointment. I've been training for this for two years, but life goes on," he said. "There were many Danish fans here. I'm really sorry I could not give them what they came for." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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