Lee Yong Dae/ Jung Jae Sung are currently ranked second in the world

Looking at the latest world rankings, it is clear that top players from various countries can’t wait for the biggest event of 2012, the London Olympics, to arrive.

In January, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei still topped the men’s singles rankings, with PRC players topping the rankings for all the other disciplines. (Wang Yi Han in the women’s singles, Cai Yuan/Fu Hai Feng in the men’s doubles, Wang Xiao Li/Yu Yang in the women’s doubles and Zhang Nan/Zhao Yun Lei in the mixed doubles.)

Worthy of note is that in recent competitions the South Korean “Tai Ji Tiger Legion” have shown their steely determination to wrest top spot from the “Chinese Legion.”

At the 2012 Korea Open Super Series Premier, South Korean players took three second places (Lee Yong Dae/Jung Jae Sung in the men’s doubles, Ha Jung Eun/ Kim Min Jung in the women’s doubles and Ha Jung Eun/ Lee Yong Dae in the mixed doubles)/ staying in hot pursuit of China’s top players! 

With Lee Yong Dae/ Jung Jae Sung and Yoo Yeon Seong/Ko Sung Hyun, all having superb touch, ranking second and fourth respectively in the world rankings, in the women’s doubles Ha Jung Eun/ Kim Min Jung have also moved up from fourth to third.

Another South Korean women’s doubles pair, Kim Ha Na/ Jung Kyung-eun, were ranked 10th in the January rankings.

South Korean mixed doubles pairLee Yong Dae/ Ha Jung Eun have also performed eye-catchingly well, moving up from 12th to seventh in one fell swoop.

South Korea’s veteran men’s single player Le Lee Hyun Il also moved up, jumping from 10th at the end of last year to eighth.

Chinese Taipei’s players have, likewise, played outstandingly! In the men’s doubles, the “Lee/Min connection,” Lee Sheng-mu/Fang Chieh Min, took the scalp of Malaysia’s “diamond men’s pair” Tan Boon Heong/ Koo Kien Keat at the Korea Open, then took the title at the Malaysia Badminton Open, taking their ranking up from 14th at the end of 2011 to 11th, hot on the heels of Indonesia’s Markis Kido/ Hendra Setiawan.

Lee Sheng Mu giving the OK sign as he delivers a lethal smash

The top players from around the world are busily honing their touch so they can be at their best for the London Olympics this summer. Let’s all give them our support and hope they produce their best! 

 BWF World Rankings for January 2012