Dynamic duo eyes last shot at glory

To watch South Korean badminton’s dynamic duo in action is to appreciate poetry in motion ― very fast motion, that is.

The scene was the practice gym at the National Training Center in Seoul. Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung, who will compete in men’s doubles at the upcoming London Olympics, were in their element, returning the shuttlecock from their training partners with shocking speed, efficiency and ease, their groans barely audible above the squeaking sound of their sneakers.

Merely making contact on shuttlecocks traveling at up to 330 kilometers per hour in space as tiny as a badminton court hardly seems humanly possible. But Lee and Jung, doubles partners for six years, have hit their stride just in time for the Olympics.

The South Koreans became the world’s No. 1 men’s doubles team on June 21, according to the Badminton World Federation’s weekly rankings. They stayed there for the rankings released on June 28.

It was the culmination of what had been a successful run-up to the Olympics.

In March, they beat the former No. 1 team, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China, to capture the All England Open, one of badminton’s oldest and most prestigious events. Then Jung and Lee secured the top position by edging out the No. 3 duo of Carsten Mogensen and Mathias Boe from Denmark to claim the Indonesian Open in June.

“We’re back on top for the first time in more than three years,” Jung said. “That gives us a lot of confidence before London.”

Lee said he doesn’t mind the view from the top.

“As the new world No. 1, we’re now the chased and I know other teams will work even harder to take us down,” he said. “The key for us is to try to deal with all that pressure and focus on handling different situations that may arise during matches.”

Their success is even more remarkable given how odd they seem as a badminton team.

Jung cuts a stocky figure, generously listed at 168 centimeters. The rugged one is the offensive spark plug of the two.

Lee is the darkly handsome, 180cm-tall wizard around the net who also possesses a world-class jump smash.

(Yonhap News)