Badminton's dynamic duo ready to compete under Asiad pressure

By Yoo Jee-ho and Park Sojung

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Despite being partners for barely a year, Lee Yong-dae and Yoo Yeon-seong have been playing like old comrades as they team up for the men's doubles in badminton at the upcoming Asian Games.

The duo, who first became a team in October last year, are now the world's No. 1-ranked men's doubles team, on the strength of their three consecutive titles at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super Series this year. With the Asiad in Incheon, set for Sept. 19 - Oct. 4, around the corner, they will have the bull's eye on their backs.

The South Koreans will have their hands full in Incheon, as the next two best men's doubles teams on the world rankings are also from Asia -- Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan from Indonesia and Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa from Japan.

Lee and Yoo said Wednesday that they're undaunted by the prospects of facing their rivals.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling any pressure," Yoo, 28, told a joint press conference for the Asiad athletes held at the National Training Center in Seoul. "I live by the motto that, if you want to wear a crown, you have to bear its weight. So whatever pressure that accompanies the competition, I will have to live with it."

The two's strong performances of late are made even more impressive by the fact that Lee had to sit out of the competition for the first three months of this year.

Lee, 25, received a one-year suspension from the BWF in January for failing to adhere to the federation's anti-doping protocol. The BWF said Lee had failed to provide information on his whereabouts on three occasions in 2013, in violation of its anti-doping regulations.

In a dramatic turn of events in April, the BWF lifted suspension on Lee, on the grounds that it had been the Badminton Korea Association (BKA), not the player himself, at fault for the administrative gaffe.

Just two months from the reinstatement, Lee and Yoo won the Japan Super Series and went on to win the next two events in Indonesia and Australia.

Lee is the more decorated of the two, with the 2008 Olympic gold in the mixed doubles and the 2012 Olympic bronze in the men's doubles to his credit. He also has two silver medals and two bronze medals from the Asian Games, and said Wednesday he'd like to end his Asiad gold drought.

"This will be my third Asian Games, and I've been disappointed that I don't have a gold medal yet," Lee said. "I am preparing for this year's Asiad thinking it will be my last. We've been playing well as of late and have high expectations."

Yoo said the pressure he feels also comes from within, playing alongside a player as accomplished as Lee.

"Lee has been a great player, and I feel a huge sense of responsibility as his partner," Yoo said. "We've been increasing the intensity of our training. We trust each other and we should be able to bring home great results."

No South Korean men's doubles team has won an Asiad gold since 2002, when the competition was held in the South Korean city of Busan.

Lee Deuk-choon, the badminton head coach, said the two players complement each other well.

"Lee Yong-dae is great around the net, and is fast with his transition game," the coach said. "Yoo Yeon-seong is the aggressive player and he is quite steady with his serves. His net play has also improved."

Lee Deuk-choon said Lee Yong-dae, who started out in the mixed doubles and moved to the men's doubles a bit later in his career, has made impressive adjustments.

"In the mixed doubles, Lee used to play in the back, but in the men's doubles, he has improved his attacking skills," the coach observed. "He is also great at scrambling his way out of trouble. He's become really savvy that way."

The coach said he expected his pupils to battle the Indonesian and the Japanese teams for the gold. Lee and Yoo have an upper hand on Ahsan and Setiawan, having defeated the Indonesians for two of their three Super Series titles this year.

jeeho@yna.co.kr

sojungpark@yna.co.kr
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