Take a rectangular court and divide it by a net. Bring players with racquets and a unique shuttlecock to hit and what do you have? An athletic and aerobic sport called badminton. It’s even an Olympic sport. If you talk with badminton aficionados the name that will always come up is Peter Gade from Denmark. Gade is the best all time badminton player. The athletic Dane is an example to others who want to be champions.
Although badminton goes as far back as ancient Greece, the modern form comes from the time of the British in India. Today, the Badminton World Foundation is the organization for international badminton. The top men’s event is call The Thomas Cup and the top women’s event is The Uber Cup. Badminton is not as well known as some other racquet sports but is gaining an audience especially since becoming an Olympic sport.
One of the players to lead the rankings for many years is Peter Gade of Denmark. Gade has won 16 Grand Prix titles in badminton. He also represented his country at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004. He is known for his dedication to fair play and for promoting the game to youth. Gade is a professional player with quick reflexes and fast serves. It’s fun to watch an athlete like Gade perform. His love for the game is apparent in the intensity of his play.
The danish badminton player Peter Gade. Thanks to petergade.net on wikipedia.org for the picture.
There are five badminton events in the Olympics. They are: men’s doubles and singles, women’s doubles and singles, and mixed doubles. The sport is very popular in Europe and Asia and is growing in popularity elsewhere. While it is played with a racquet, it is different from other sports because the shuttlecock can reach speeds of over 200 miles per hour and then decelerate quickly. The racquet is traditionally an oval shape, but players are using round shapes as well. Racquets were made of wood but today are made of different lightweight metals.
Gade’s talents include deceptive shots and fast attacks towards the other player. He was planning to retire and teach badminton. His retirement will be good for the sport in that he will be teaching the next generation of players. It will be bad for the fans that have marveled at his work on the badminton court. They will miss his energy and talent at the championship matches. That quickness and strategy are two of the reasons Peter Gade is the best all time badminton player.
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