Tags:
Journalism of Courage
BIRMINGHAM, MARCH 14: World number one Peter Gade Christensen won his first All England badminton title today with a hard-fought 15-11 7-15 15-10 victory over Indonesian teenager Taufik Hidayat.
The experienced Dane had to fight all the way against 17-year-old Hidayat, the second youngest player in All-England history to reach the men8217;s singles final. Only his famous compatriot Rudy Hartono, who swept eight titles here, stands ahead of him after reaching his first final at the age of 16 in 1968.
It was the third time this decade the championship had gone to Denmark, following successive triumphs by Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen in 1995 and 1996.
Despite today8217;s defeat Hidayat is clearly the find of the tournament. His scalps included Olympic champion Hoyer-Larsen and number two seed Fung Permadi of Taiwan.
Hidayat said: 8220;I8217;m very disappointed but Gade was much more mature and experienced than me. My legs are okay but my head is tired.8221; The Indonesian8217;s main aim is next year8217;s Olympics rather than the WorldChampionships in Denmark in May.
