So remember a few months ago when I said my coach got 2nd place in men’s singles at a city tournament? Well, first and second place winners of every game became a new team that went to compete in the provincial level games, including my coach!
Now I know that I’ve said numerous times that Xiamen is the best city for badminton in China and it’s something everyone here says, but who really knows, right? I have a feeling most cities around here say the same. (Especially Longyan because that is where Lin Dan is from.)
Well, the proof is in the pudding. At the provincial level competition with 10 cities participating the Xiamen teamed KILLED. Every team member earned at least one medal, the only team to do that, and they earned the most #1 wins.
Xiamen (厦门）is the first one on the list. 17 first place wins, 4 second place and 5 third place for a total of 26 medals. Top 5 got medals and everyone on the Xiamen team placed at least 5th.
Now the fist and second winners from each category will move onto the national level where they will fight it out with the top players of every other province. The Fujian province team will be made almost entirely out of Xiamen people. The competition is a few months away but I am very much looking forward to seeing the results. I know our women’s double team regularly wins in national competitions so we’ll see how the rest fair.
The one competition that won’t have a Xiamen team member is men’s doubles. Both Xiamen players earned 3rd and 4th place…my coach getting fourth.
Now, obviously I’m hella proud of him. I can officially say he is the 4th best men’s singles player in the province, which is something for a 40-something guy who rarely competes (all his opponents were in their 30’s.) But to be honest I’m a bit disappointed. The guy that beat my coach isn’t better than him and that’s not just me saying that. People in my club knew his opponent and said the same.
My coach looking very surly and disappointed with his 4th place win.
But my coach lost his nerve. He was away for 6 days and as a family man with a newborn, this didn’t suit him. Add to that his son participated in his first badminton competition while my coach was away and I think that upset him.
“My wife said that my son cried and cried last night because he missed me,” he wrote on a chat group. “Too much pressure!” When I read that I knew he would lose. Winning would mean another week away from his family and to him, winning isn’t that important.
But he also hates losing so I know how disappointed he was. He’s still the second best in Xiamen and the 4th best in the province, the province that both Lin Dan and Chen Long hail from, so that’s saying a lot. And this is proof that Xiamen is by far the best team in the best province for badminton. And once they win the national level I’ll be able to officially, and with confidence, say Xiamen has the best badminton players in China!
I’m lucky to be learning in a city with so many top players I can play with.
