Women's Singles Finals
Women's Singles Ends With a BANG!
1992 Olympic silver medalist BANG Soo Hyun of Korea went one step further this time around, winning the gold medal. BANG defeated Indonesia's 16-year-old, up-and-coming star, Mia AUDINA, 11-6, 11-7.
BANG dominated the first game, but despite the negligible difference in score, the second game was closer. AUDINA started the game by gaining a 3-0 lead. BANG then overtook her at 4-3. AUDINA took control of the game again and built her lead to 7-5 before BANG shut down her offensive production. BANG was near-errorless in the second game, committing only nine miscues.
Medalists: Gold-BANG Soo Hyun (KOR), Silver:-Mia AUDINA (INA)
"I thank God for winning this match," said BANG, "and also the coaches, managers and the Korean people, who have always stood by me."
HOYER-LARSEN Becomes Badminton Only European Medalist
With a 15-12, 15-10 victory over DONG Jiong of the People's Republic of China, Poul-Erik HOYER-LARSEN of Denmark became the only European badminton medalist of the Centennial Olympic Games and Europe's only badminton player to ever with an Olympic gold medal.
In the first game, DONG gained a 6-3 early lead. HOYER-LARSEN tied the game at 7-7 before DONG went ahead again, building the margin to 11-8. HOYER-LARSEN then took charge, coming from behind to win the game.
The second game was a different story with HOYER-LARSEN gaining the first lead, which he built to 6-0 before allowing DONG to score. HOYER-LARSEN kept ahead the entire game. The closest DONG came was 10-12.
Medalists: Gold - Poul-Erik HOYER-LARSEN (DEN), Silver- DONG Jiong (CHN)
"Knowing that badminton is not the most important thing in your life, it has made me more relaxed on the court," said HOYER-LARSEN. "That's one of the reasons why I've become a better badminton player."
KIM and GIL Upset PARK and RA to Win Inaugural Mixed Doubles Gold Medal
KIM Dong Moon and GIL Young Ah of Korea, who entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed, defeated top-seeded teammates PARK Joo-Bong and RA Kyung Min in a hard-fought 13-15, 15-4, 15-12 match. The victory gave GIL her second medal of the 1996 Olympic Games, as she was a silver medalist in the women's doubles with partner JANG Hye Ock.
PARK and RA never allowed KIM and GIL to gain the lead in the first game, though the game was tied once at 4-4. KIM and GIL staved off match point at 9-14 and closed to within one point before PARK and RA put the game away.
In the second game, KIM and GIL came out with a vengeance. Though PARK and RA scored the first point, they never regained the lead.
PARK and RA held the lead throughout the majority of the third game after surpassing KIM and GIL at 5-3. PARK and RA built their lead to 10-5 at one point. KIM and GIL overtook their fellow Koreans at 12-11 and held on to win.
PARK has said he will retire now that he has a second Olympic medal.
Medalists: Gold - KIM Dong Moon and GIL Young Ah (KOR), Silver -PARK Joo-Bong and RA Kyung Min (KOR)
"I was concentrating much more throughout the tournament on the women's doubles, so there wasn't as much pressure on me," GIL said. "Also, there was less pressure playing against another Korean team."
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| The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts. |