The Chinese shuttlers, world powerhouses in the sport, are set to dominate the badminton tournament in the 28th Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, as the once-lagging men's doubles speed up for the gold.

China has pocketed four golds out of five in Sydney, leaving the men's doubles as the sole regret, even without reaching the quarterfinals. Since legendary coach Tang Xianhu took charge of the event in 2002, the shortest plank in the bucket has made enormous progresses, securing two berths in the world's Top 10 in 2004.

Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng, No. 3 in the world, and Sang Yang/Zheng Bo, No. 7, ignite the hopes of the folks as they rocketed to fame in two years, upsetting almost all renowned men's doubles pairs throughout the world.

They reached the semifinals in the 2003 IBF World Championships simultaneously and surprisingly. Cai/Fu even claimed the 2004 Badminton Swiss Open title, while Sang/Zheng beat All England champions Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard of Denmark, and China reclaimed the Thomas Cup after 12 years.

En route to the altars in Athens, they have to face huge challenges while they themselves have posed great threats to others.

World's No. 1 Lars Paaske/Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark and South Korean veterans Ha Tae Kwon/Kim Dong Moon are their strongest rivals. What the Chinese boast are the upward trend of youngsters and improving capabilities, and what they lack are experiences and technique. Gold medal is not a mission impossible for them, once they exert all their strength and efforts.

In the men's singles, the rising of Super Dan has greatly enabled the Chinese to grab the gold medal in Athens.

Since September 2003, Lin Dan has swept the IBF Badminton Open series, claiming five titles for the nickname of "Super Dan" after the Swiss Open 2004. In 2004 Thomas Cup, Super Dan, the No.1 men's singles in China, crushed all his rivals, without even losing a single set.

Super Dan, the world No. 1 who fights for his first Olympic glory in the summer, will lead a strong Chinese team with Chen Hong and Bao Chunlai, while Peter Gade of Denmark and Malaysian Wong Choong Hann will become the strongest challengers against them.

Both the women's singles and doubles are the traditional domains of the Chinese shuttlers.

Top-ranked Gong Ruina, together with Zhang Ni, No.2 and Zhou Mi, No. 3, will keep their superiority over their rivals, including their most dangerous opponents of Mia Audina of the Netherlands and Camilla Martin of Denmark.

Sydney Olympic silver medalist Martin has dropped to the ninth spot in the world rankings due to injury, staging less power to stop the Chinese from reaching the laurels, while former Indonesian genius Mia, recovering from a split with her homeland, poses the greatest threat by beating both Zhou Mi and Gong Ruina to clinch the title of the 2004 Yonex Japan Open.

However, the Chinese trio remain the most capable contenders for the Olympic glory, barring their own mistakes.

Gao Lin/Huang Sui, world No.1, Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen, No.2 and No.4 Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting are expected to win back the women's doubles for China in Athens with great possibility, however their

hope for a clean sweep might be dampened by Ra Kyung Min/Lee Kyung Won of South Korea, the most intrepid opponents to China.

Mixed doubles defending champion Zhang Jun/Gao Ling are set to face tough challenges in Athens, as Kim Dong Moon/Ra Kyung Min of South Korea are invincible in the last two years, never losing a match since World Championships 2003.

Their upperhands over Zhang/Gao have become so unshakable that no one dares to count the mixed doubles gold into China's account.

However, Kim is to play the men's doubles with Ha Tae Kwon while Ra will join Lee Kyung Won in the women's doubles. Whether they would have enough stamina to play two battlefronts raises a question mark, leaving a fair chance for younger Zhang/Gao to fight for the gold.

On the prospect of goal of medals in Athens, Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese badminton team, said that "every Chinese player has the power to win the gold medal, and the Chinese team is expected to take home two golds or more."

"The goal looks quite humble compared to the four golds won in Sydney," said the head coach, "However, thinking of the physical conditions of our players and their rivals, the on-the-spot performance and some unexpected difficulties, we will find it rather realistic."

Following is the Chinese badminton team:

Women: Zhang Ning, Zhou Mi, Gong Ruina, Gao Ling, Huang Sui, Yang Wei, Zhang Jiewen, Wei Yili, Zhao Tingting

Men: Chen Hong, Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai, Fu Haifeng, Sang Yang, Zheng Bo, Zhang Jun, Chen Qiqiu, Cai Yun.

Source: Xinhua