Gopichand raises Indian hopes

Dave Thompson

As one observer pointedly remarked about India's Olympic tally in Sydney: "One bronze medal does not go far among a billion people."

So, when any Indian athlete in any sport achieves something of note, the burden of Indian expectation is likely to be that much the greater.

The syndrome was acknowledged on Thursday after India's top badminton player, Pullela Gopichand, produced one of the biggest upsets at the All England Championships for some years when he beat Olympic title-holder Ji Xinpeng 15-3, 15-9 to book a quarter-final place.

The 27-year-old Hyderabadi, who is based in Bangalore, has been on the circuit for some time without ever hitting the heights. But remarkably his CV now includes the scalps of all three Olympic champions in a sport which made its Games debut only in 1992.

Look back far enough and to go with Wednesdays success you will find victories for Gopichand over 1992 gold medallist Allan Budi Kusuma of Indonesia and 1996 Atlanta winner Poul Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark.

On the other hand the All England has not been a favourite hunting ground and when Gopichand takes to the court on Friday night it will be his first appearance in the last eight at badminton's most venerable tournament.

With China's Ji out of the way along with other high-profile casualties like Indonesia's H. Hendrawan, the Olympic silver medallist, and Taufik Hidayat, the All England runner-up for the last two years, the title is far from an impossibility.

And the mind-set looks right, the Indian told reporters after Thursday's victory. "I think I have matured as a player. I know what I have to do to try and get these kinds of victories."

Improving Dane Anders Boesen is his quarter-final opponent and victory there would probably mean a semifinal clash with Boesen's compatriot Peter Gade, the world number one.

Tough tasks but India is expecting.

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