Gade eyes elusive medal

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For the Chinese, Denmark’s Peter Hoeg Gade and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia are the two badminton giants on the men’s circuit who pose a threat to their supremacy.

Yet when it comes to the Olympics or the World Championships it is the Chinese all the way.
A gold medal, in either of these events has eluded the duo so far, since badminton made its official debut at the Olympics in 1992.
Now, as the 35-year-old Gade readies for his last Olympic appearance, he doesn’t count himself amongst the favourites with three Chinese — world no. 1 Lin Dan, third ranked Cheng Long and Cheng Jin (world no. 4) — besides the second ranked Lee waiting to weave their magic at the Wembley Arena Indoor Stadium.
He, however, does not rule out an Olympic medal — which eluded him in 2000, 2004 and 2008 — at the July 27 to August 12 London event.
“Of course, it’s a dream to win a medal there, but I know that a lot needs to happen to make that a reality. But it’s not impossible and I will go for my chance. There’s a lot of good players in the men’s singles and I think its possible that we’ll see some surprises.
“However Dan, Long and Chong Wei will still be the big favourites. I see myself in a group with the players, who on a good day can come up with a very good result,” the fifth-ranked Gade told this paper in an email interview from Denmark.
Exuding determination, the former world no. 1 said he had been training hard under national coach Lars Uhre at the National Center in Copenhagen for some time now and would not go down without a fight. “I had to pay a price for a very tough second part of 2011. The first few months of 2012 were also very difficult and I had to rebuild, but some of that is paying off now.
“It’s a question of changing big things, but optimising every area and making sure that my body and mind are ready for one last time. I have to push body and mind to the limit one last time, and thats where my focus has been,” said the former 1999 All-England champion.
After a remarkable 2011, an ankle injury troubled the Danish star, leading to disappointing displays at the All-England and India Open.
Gade admitted that age has taken a toll on his body. “My ankle is not the best, but just needs to hold up for three more weeks and that should be possible,” said the five-time European champion.
Gade though will have to roll back the years to beat his top opponents as his record against them has been poor. Against Lin Dan, he has a head-to-head record of 3-17 while he has won won only twice in his 18 meetings with the Malaysian.
“They (Chinese) are very good, and it is a tough challenge to keep up with their pace.
“But I am not thinking about the Chinese right now. I need to win my matches — no matter who’s on the other side of the net,” said the lanky Gade, known for his trademark backcourt and reverse forehand shots.
Hinting that he would be undertaking a coaching stint after retirement, Gade called himself “lucky” for competing at the international circuit for a two long decades.
“I’m very proud of my career and the mark that I’ve made on the badminton world,” signs off Gade, who will fly to London on July 23.