Tough draws for Nigeria at Badminton Worlds

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


August 7, 2009 10:45PM


Tough times await Nigeria’s representatives to this year’s Badminton World Championships in India as they have all been handed daunting draws in the event that gets underway on August 10.

In the Men’s Singles event, Africa’s sole representative, Ola Fagbemi, will have his hands full against England’s Rajiv Ouseph who is ranked 24th in the latest World Badminton Federation (WBF) rankings.

The 22-year-old Ouseph in 2005 became the first Englishman in twenty years to win the European Junior Championships and is one of the most improved players in the world having climbed 16 places from his December 2008 world ranking of 40.

This year alone, the English number one has won four international titles including the Men’s Singles title at the French Open and the European Circuit Finals.

On his part, Fagbemi has in 2009 won just the African Senior Championship in Kenya and is ranked a distant 189th in the world.

He however knows he will have to be at his best if he is to stand a chance against the 6ft 3in tall Ouseph when they square up at the GMC Baloyogi Indoor Stadium in the city of Hyderabad on Monday.

“It will be a tough game,” remarked Fagbemi in a telephone interview with NEXTSports from the Nigerian team’s training base in Abuja. “No doubt I will be the underdog but I believe I have a chance of creating an upset on Monday.”

In the Men’s Doubles, Fagbemi and his long-time doubles partner Jinkan Ifraimu will have their hands full against Malaysia’s duo of Kien Keat koo and Boon Heong Tan who are currently ranked 2nd in the world behind India’s pair of Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan.

The players have been training twice daily as they get set to depart for India on Saturday. But irrespective of the availability of video clips of their opponents the odds are that they will be heading home after their opening fixtures.

“I don’t think we should be written off just like that,” opined Grace Daniel who, along with her doubles partner Mary Gideon will be coming up against the 6th ranked duo of Yawen Zhang and Tingting Zhao from China.

“We have watched a lot of their games and hopefully what we have seen will be of help,” she added.

Departing for India on Saturday is however causing some concern for Nigeria’s four-man team as they all agree that it is coming too soon to the start of the championship.

“We cannot rule out jetlag because it’s a long way from here to India but hopefully we will get enough rest before our games,” added Fagbemi.