We started the journey like around 6 in the morning. From Surein and Pina's place, we picked up Jamie, Kelvin, Yuen Han and Sharon before we hit the motorway all the way down south to Birmingham (it's a silent 'H'). I was the co-pilot and it really wasn't that easy. It was too early in the morning (not to mention it's the weekend when I'd normally leave my brain at home) and my once-good sense of direction was failing me despite the use of sat-nav. By the time we got back later at around midnight, we all felt like smashing the sat-nav!
Anyway, there was nothing uneventful on our way down. Some of us talked just to keep Surein awake and fresh while some (read Sharon =p) just ate and slept in the backseat! We went around for a while because we knew we wouldn't have time to check out the city later in the evening. It was such a shame really because Birmingham was the UK's second most populous metropolitan and it looked like there was lots to see and visit. I'll definitely come back again.
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| the annoying sat-nav...felt like putting my foot all the way through the windshield but the fact that it was a rented car stopped me... |
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| first view upon entering Birmingham City Centre! |
We arrived in Birmingham at around 10am so we went to the city centre to get some breakfast first as the game were starting at 12pm.
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| not yet opened...wonder what a shop called 'The Sexy Shop' would be selling? |
After a quick breakfast, we headed back to the National Indoor Arena just in time and this was when the games began!
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| yours truly in front of the entrance.. |
The first game of the day was women's singles between Eriko Hirose and Wang Shixian. I was rooting for Hirose just for the sake of hoping that the Japanese would get some good news following the horrible tsunami the Friday before. She really put up a good fight against Wang Shixian and it really was a good game to start the day.
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| Eriko Hirose putting up a good fight... |
The second game of the day was men's doubles and I was rooting, of course, for our boys. I was beyond happy when they managed to beat China's Cai Yun - Fu Haifeng duo in the semi-final and I was convinced they could nail the game easily. They started brilliantly amazing and I cheered like I've never cheered before believing that my searing throat will be worth it. My elation went down by the time they started the second set. The boys from Denmark were doing their best to level up and our boys appeared to be very complacent they made some very pricey mistakes. They clearly went through the classic 'first-set-win-complacence' syndrome they ended up in the psycholohical trap of rubber set.
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| our boys entering the court... |
I took this video somewhat near the end of the second set hoping to capture the boys' winning stroke but I stopped halfway through...you know what happened...
The boys went into the rubber set and my heart deflated like a baloon being pricked by a needle. Not to sound discouraging but I always see rubber set as the bane of any player who has won the first set but lost the second set. The way I see it, the player who won the first set but lost the second set would be under great pressure of having to get back in the game to prove his or her mettle and would end up doing more mistakes while the player who lost the first set and won the second set would have this new-found fighting spirit to keep doing better and better following his or her previous win that player would eventually come out victorious. And this was what exactly happened to our boys. They were only this tiny group of spectators supporting Denmark's duo so their cheering was nothing compared to the cheering and screaming by Malaysian supporters, who practically filled one third of the arena, but I guess our screaming ended up being disasterous to the boys.
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| the Danes victorious... |
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| our boys doing their lap of honour... |
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| Tan Boon Heong |
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| Koo Kien Keat |
I didn't really pay much attention to the next two games which were women's doubles and mixed doubles. The women's doubles title clearly belonged to China's duo since Japan's duo played as if they just couldn't care less. Either they were discouraged by Hirose's loss or just stricken by the tsunami on Friday, I didn't know but I used the time to go to the loo to relieve myself. Mixed doubles was a lot more entertaining and kudos to the duo from Thailand. They may have lost but they sure put up a very good, if not entertaining, fight. I wasn't cheering or screaming at all during the two games as I was saving my energy for later.
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| Yuen Han, Jamie, Kelvin, Sharon & Pina.. |
Then came the much-awaited moment of men's singles between our evry own Lee Chong Wei and the legendary Lin Dan.
Chong Wei making his grand entry into the court...
So I went back to screaming and cheering again. And there was a very good reason to keep on cheering and sceaming. There might be some glitch at Chong Wei's start but he managed to pick up the pace and remained in control of the game I was surprised to see how helpless Lin Dan looked as it was usually the other way around. Not that I was complaining. The minute he won the first set, it was euphoric in the arena as all Malaysian supporters cheered on top of their lungs to drown whatever sound China's supporters were trying to make.
I was apprehensive when the second set started. I was afraid if Chong Wei would be affected by the disasterous 'first-set-win-complacence' syndrome like Kien Keat and Boon Heong. History has shown that he has tendencies to fall for it and Lin Dan was his one arch-enemy that could always push his button. Lucky for all of us, Chong Wei had it in control and Lin Dan really looked defeated half-way through the set. By the time, Chong Wei got his game point, Surein and I got up from our seats to run all the way down knowing that Chong Wei had had the cup in his bag already.
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| sorry for the poor photo quality...was jumping and shaking and screaming like crazy! |
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| Chong Wei doing his champion's lap of honour...didn't manage to get him to sign my ticket =( |
The rest was, as they say it, history. The cheered that erupted as the shuttlecock fell outside the line rang with elation and jubilation like I had never heard before. Every Malaysian got on their feet to jump and hug each other with joy of tears to celebrate Chong Wei's victory. This one moment made me realise the uniting power of sports for during that time, irregardless of our race, colour and ethnicity, we were there simply as Malaysians, cheering and rallying our support behind a Malaysian and waving that one and only Malaysia flag. It kinda gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to see caucasians smiled and shook their heads in amusement as they watched us, all different skin colours, cheering as one for one single reason.
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| Malaysians from all around the UK coming to support... |
It was a very great moment indeed to see Chong Wei not only managing to defend his title but at the same time succeeding to conquer his arch-enemy. In between games, there will be adverts shown from sponsors on the white screen and one said: 'Courage is not the absence of fear. It's being afraid but being able to control that fear. That's what makes a champion.' and that couldn't be any truer when it comes to Chong Wei.
We headed back home right after the game ended. Tired as we were (we arrived back in Newcastle at 11pm) along with our burning throats and stiff legs and knees, the whole day was worth it!
Congratulations, Lee Chong Wei!
P.S.: I shook hands with Koo Kien Keat, Tan Bong Heong, Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. Woohoo!!!! =p
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