Dates 10 August – 16 August Level International | Edition 17th Location Hyderabad, India | |
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Venue Gachibowli Indoor Stadium | ||
The 2009 BWF World Championships was the 17th tournament of the BWF World Championships, a global tournament in the sport of badminton. It was held at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, from August 10 to August 16, 2009. It was the first ever World Championships event to take place in India.
Contents
- Venue
- Draw
- Austria
- Denmark
- England
- Mens singles
- Womens singles
- Mens doubles
- Womens doubles
- Mixed doubles
- References
Badminton England withdrew before the first round due to a perceived threat of terror against the team. They were later joined by two Austrian doubles players. Lin Dan won the men's singles event, thus becoming the only player in badminton history to have won three men's singles world championship titles having done so consecutively in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Lu Lan won the World Championship title in the women's singles event. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China won the World Championship title in the men's doubles event in a match which was later dubbed a "classic". Zhang Yawen and Zhao Tingting won the World Championship title in the women's doubles event, whilst Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark won the World Championship title in the mixed doubles event.
Venue
The 2009 BWF World Championships were held at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
Draw
The draw took place on 22 July 2009, featuring Chief Guest and Indian Sports Minister, Dr. M.S. Gill.
Austria
Due to security worries Austrian doubles pair Peter Zauner and Jürgen Koch decided against participation in the 2009 BWF World Championships. The BWF issued a special statement calling the withdrawals "an individual decision on the part of the players". COO BWF Thomas Lund said: “I believe it is a matter of concern that teams haven’t been consulting us before pulling out, because all the necessary information is available with us which will allay fears”. Lund declined to blame the Indian media for their part in the withdrawals: “I can’t say India as hosts have any reason to be blamed for a false newspaper report with threat perceptions which triggered these reactions.”
Denmark
Denmark, who had not achieved a BWF World Championship singles win since 1999, and a men’s title since 1997, took part. The country last won the men's doubles title in 2003.
England
The English badminton team decided against participation in the 2009 BWF World Championships, citing fears of a "terrorist threat", although, according to Hyderabad's police commission "there's no real threat, only a perception". Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy called it "an incredibly tough decision and one we didn't take lightly". Christy said: "We were not prepared to risk the safety of our players, coaches and staff in what we felt could have been a very volatile environment".
Men's singles
Lin Dan of China won the World Championship title in the men's singles event, beating Chen Jin in the final. The score was 21–16. The victory, Dan's third consecutive one (4 counting the unofficial World Championship, the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008), set a new record for consecutive victories. Despite the three consecutive victories, Dan was not ranked number one player in the world at the time of his third victory.
Women's singles
Lu Lan won the World Championship title in the women's singles event, beating Xie Xingfang in the final. Lu won by a score of 23–21. Xie had at one point reached game point when the score was at 21–20. Lu won in two games by scores of 23–21 and 21–12.
Men's doubles
Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China won the World Championship title in the men's doubles event, the final of the World Championships, beating Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung of Korea in the final. It was their second men's doubles title, having previously won in Madrid in 2006. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng won the first game by a score of 21–18. The Koreans then won the second game by a score of 16–21 to draw level. The third game saw the two pairs exchange the lead several times with a one point difference before exchanging several match points. 28–26 was the final score, with the Chinese declared winners on their sixth match point. Retired Chinese badminton player and now coach of his national team, Li Yongbo, watched from the sidelines what was later termed "a classic that will be often recalled as one of the best men’s doubles matches in the recent history of the sport".
Women's doubles
Zhang Yawen and Zhao Tingting won the World Championship title in the women's doubles event, beating Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei in the final. They did so with some difficulty, including three games with scores of 17–21, 21–17 and 21–16, and battled delaying tactics employed by their rivals. The match also featured several lengthy rallies which consisted of over thirty shots. On the winners' podium to receive their medals, the winners cried as it was their first ever victory in the women's doubles event.
Mixed doubles
Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark won the World Championship title in the mixed doubles event, beating Lilyana Natsir and Nova Widianto of Indonesia (the defending champions) in the final. It was their first ever world title. The duo beat Zheng Bo and Ma Jin of China and Korea's Olympic champions on the way to the final. In the final, the Danish doubles pair won the first game by a score of 21–13 and also eased through the second game at a score of 21–17.