Oh Nicol...How we love you.
It was good while it lasted but still you held on strong throughout 2008. She is just so dominating her sport that she'll probably be at the pinnacle for some time to come. She's at the peak of her physical fitness and from the way she ran circles around her opponents, it is clear that she is deserving of her status as the world champion and world no. 1. I shall write a tribute to after i'm done with my 2 other projects.
Her opponents with the stroke-play that is capable of putting up a fight with her are nowhere near her age bracket (hence she'll just run circles around them) and those that are at within her age bracket are nowhere near as polished in their strokes. Talk about dominance.
Notwithstanding her first defeat in a very long time, she has been quite an inspiration to all. I would say that she has been constantly putting up a brave front and the pressure on her shoulders must be quite a burden to bear. Our badminton hero, Datuk Chong Wei has been advised to be more selective of his play but his coach laments the lack of quality sparring partners. Perhaps that is true, but the fact that badminton seems to get so much more funding and support seem to bring less than stellar results than squash. Being on top of the game is so crucial and perhaps Nicol can give Chong Wei some pointers. She has been consistently delivering and performing and I am sure she is not really getting that fantastic sparring either considering the fact that the other world's top 20 train at various locations and she is the only malaysian at the top. Let's not even get to the abysmal "national" sport that is football. With all the pseudo-critics of footie, they can't even run half the field to save their life.
So, take a leaf from Datuk Nicol's life and grow up people. Let sports be sports and perhaps for the less "sporty" of us, apply these principles in our life. And politicians, stay in your closet and swallow them cyanide pills.
rant over.
Her opponents with the stroke-play that is capable of putting up a fight with her are nowhere near her age bracket (hence she'll just run circles around them) and those that are at within her age bracket are nowhere near as polished in their strokes. Talk about dominance.
Notwithstanding her first defeat in a very long time, she has been quite an inspiration to all. I would say that she has been constantly putting up a brave front and the pressure on her shoulders must be quite a burden to bear. Our badminton hero, Datuk Chong Wei has been advised to be more selective of his play but his coach laments the lack of quality sparring partners. Perhaps that is true, but the fact that badminton seems to get so much more funding and support seem to bring less than stellar results than squash. Being on top of the game is so crucial and perhaps Nicol can give Chong Wei some pointers. She has been consistently delivering and performing and I am sure she is not really getting that fantastic sparring either considering the fact that the other world's top 20 train at various locations and she is the only malaysian at the top. Let's not even get to the abysmal "national" sport that is football. With all the pseudo-critics of footie, they can't even run half the field to save their life.
So, take a leaf from Datuk Nicol's life and grow up people. Let sports be sports and perhaps for the less "sporty" of us, apply these principles in our life. And politicians, stay in your closet and swallow them cyanide pills.
rant over.
