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Thai ace hopes to carry good form to Beijing
KITTIPONG THONGSOMBAT
Boonsak Ponsana reached the badminton semi-finals at the Athens Games four years ago. |
The Beijing Games could be badminton star Boonsak Ponsana's best - and last - chance to win an Olympic medal.
It could be his best chance because he has more experience and has had a good run lately.
It could be his last shot because he will be 30 when the 2012 London Games come around.
In his Olympic debut in Athens four years ago, he failed at the last hurdle to win a medal when he lost to Indonesia's Soni Dwi Koncoro 15-11, 17-16 in the third-place play-off.
At least, Boonsak, who is dubbed "Superman" by the Thai press as his nickname is "Man", was the first Thai shuttler to have reached the semi-finals since badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992.
Despite his heartbreaking setback in Athens, Boonsak has become more popular in Thailand, particularly among the youngsters.
He has since improved considerably and won two tournaments - the 2007 Singapore Super Series and the 2008 India Grand Prix Gold.
He was a finalist in the 2005 Indonesia Open, the 2006 Asian Championships and the 2007 and 2008 SCG Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold. He lost to world No 1 Lin Dan of China in the Thailand Open final last month.
He also won gold for Thailand in last year's World University Games in Bangkok.
"I am quite happy with my recent form, although there is still room for improvement," Boonsak said this week.
His bid to defend his Singapore Super Series ended in the second round last month. But he claims the defeat did not mean he played badly.
"I did quite well but made some minor mistakes," he said. "Also my concentration was not good enough."
The mental aspect may be his biggest problem and he needs to be more consistent.
The 26-year-old star refuses to set a target in the Beijing Games as this could put extra pressure on himself.
Although he is ranked only 14th in the world, Boonsak does not think the players above him are much better than him because he has beaten almost all of them.
Indeed, he says, playing against a higher-ranked player makes him feel relaxed and play better.
"As the underdog, I have nothing to worry about," he said. "But when you play newcomers or lower-ranked players, you may feel under pressure."
But while he has improved since the Athens Games, it will not be any easier for him to win a medal.
"I have improved as have other players. Most of them are familiar faces," he said.
Boonsak is now much more popular than four years ago, but he prefers to be a low-key player.
However he will be in the limelight at the coming Olympics and will have to shoulder the burden of being one of Thailand's hopefuls in Beijing.
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