Badminton: Women's silver should keep funding coming

MANCHESTER - A gold medal eluded Nicole Gordon and Sara Runesten Petersen in the women's doubles at the Commonwealth Games today, but their silver is still the best achieved by any New Zealand badminton players at the Commonwealth Games.

And with the New Zealand badminton team having also won a couple of bronze medals at the Manchester Games, Gordon said it should be enough to keep funding flowing for badminton from Sport and Recreation New Zealand.

"It (funding) was not our focus on the court but it was in the back of our minds when we came here," she said.

Danish-born Runesten Petersen and Nicole Gordon were beaten in the final at the Bolton Arena today by Malaysia's Lim Pek Siah and Ang Li Peng 8-7 4-7 7-2 5-7 0-7.

Although Lim and Ang were unseeded and the New Zealanders were No 3 seeds, that just reflected world ranking points from international tournaments which Lim and Ang have not contested and the New Zealanders have.

The Malaysians proved resilient on defence and deceptively powerful on attack. Errors proved crucial in this match, with the Malaysians found wanting early on when they were kept pinned at the back of the court. But in the final analysis Gordon and Runesten Petersen committed too mistakes.

"We knew it was going to be hard work today and we gave it 100 per cent," Runesten Petersen said.

"We played the other Malaysians yesterday and that was hard work too, even though the (straight sets) score looked differently."

At times during the match when the New Zealanders got some scoring momentum going, they were annoyed at the delaying tactics of the Malaysians, but Gordon admitted she "did the same back" when the Malaysians were on a good streak.

Runesten Petersen said she and Gordon lost their patience towards the end of the match, trying to end rallies too soon.

"We made a few mistakes because of that," Runesten Petersen said.

Gordon and Runesten Petersen had seemed in control after taking the third set easily, but Ang and Lim fought back to lead the fourth 6-3 before the New Zealanders warded off 10 set points and edged up to 6-5.

But the rearguard action seemed to wear them down, as Ang and Lim eventually took the set and made no race of the fifth set.

"They are only little girls, but they're blooming strong," Gordon said.

"It gets a little frustrating when you keep smashing and smashing and it comes coming back and coming back. But that's all part of the game."

Gordon, 26, from the Lloyd Elsmore club in Auckland, and Petersen, 27, from the Takapuna club, have been doubles partners for just over the year.

They complement each other, with Runesten Petersen a skilful blocker near the net and Gordon a hard hitter at the back.

Previously Gordon had teamed up with younger sister Rebecca but she has since specialised in singles for New Zealand.

Runesten Petersen, who won a European under-18 championship title for Denmark, has been living "in and out of" New Zealand for seven years when she had an urge to travel and play badminton.

The Malaysian badminton women arrived unheralded in Manchester, whereas their men share world domination of the sport with China and Indonesia and monopolised today's Commonwealth Games men's singles and doubles finals.

Lim said they had not won any major tournament before the Commonwealth Games, having only played in satellite tournaments around Asia.

Runesten Petersen had already won a mixed doubles bronze medal at the Games, with Daniel Shirley, and both New Zealand women also won bronze medals as members of the New Zealand team who lost the teams' semifinal against Singapore.

- NZPA

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