The overall performance of the Chinese national badminton team is satisfying, as they bagged three golds, two silvers and three bronzes, said head coach Li Yongbo here Sunday.
The Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium witnessed the crowning of top seed Lin Dan, defending champion Zhang Ning and up-and-coming pair Du Jing and Yu Yang in their respective events in the nine-day Olympic badminton tournament.
Noting that the total number of medals evened the best record the Chinese badminton team had ever achieved at previous Olympics, the head coach cautioned people not to compare the achievements they made at Beijing Olympics to those in Sydney or Athens.
The change in scoring system from 15-point to 21 has made the sport more unpredictable, so it was harder for us to reap such a harvest, said Li Yongbo.
He also expressed his satisfaction with the fledging young players, mentioning Olympic champions Du Jing and Yu Yang in women's doubles, bronze medalists He Hanbin in mixed doubles and Chen Jin in men's singles.
The head coach, however, pointed out that some of the 19 players didn't achieve satisfying results at the Games, despite their arduous training.
"I feel regretful for them as I didn't provide them effective help," he said.
When asked if the team will hold a celebration party tonight, Li said it is not right time to celebrate as all the team members felt quite tired.
"We will take a good rest tonight, and hold a celebration party after the Games."
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2008)