Tokyo, Aug 1 (EFE) .- The Guatemalan badminton player Kevin Cordón was not surprised this Sunday at the level of his rival in the semifinals of the Tokyo Games, the Danish Viktor Axelsen, who defeated him and sent him to the fight for the bronze.
The match for third and fourth place, scheduled for tomorrow, “is going to be a very strong match, but right now,” said the Guatemalan minutes after the match, “I’m not thinking about it much.”
“Right now we are going to analyze, taking advantage of the fact that everything is fresh, to talk with the coach and see what was done well here, or the things that went well, and also analyze the bad decisions that were made there in the shots”, for a starting from this, “make the strategy to go out tomorrow with everything for that medal,” he said.
Zacapa’s fell to Axelsen, world number three and bronze in the previous Games in Rio 2016, by two games to zero (18-21 and 11-21).
“The tactics or the risk that I took in the last points (of the first set) did not favor me, they came out for very little and already in the second set when I wanted to change the strategy a bit or stay on top, because he was already a little more waiting for what I was going to do and I had a hard time playing my game, “he explained.
Despite this, the Guatemalan was not surprised by the level of his rival, nor that of any of the players against whom he has played matches in previous rounds or those who remain standing.
“The best players in the world come to the Olympic Games, here no one comes to waste their time or want to lose or to play that is an easy game. And, of course, as one progresses the rounds the situation or the games become more strong, “he stressed.
Cordón will dispute tomorrow the fight for third place and his medal against the Indonesian Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
Ginting lost his match, played just after, against Chinese Chen Long, who starts as a favorite in the tournament, by 2-0 (21-16 and 21-11), and who will play gold with Axelsen.
Despite the imminent match, the 34-year-old Guatemalan player says he is not thinking about the medal at this time.
“I don’t think about that, not because I don’t want it, what happens is why put that kind of information so strong, so heavy in the head,” said Cordón.
“I’m already close to a medal, but I don’t think about that in my mind, because I don’t want my mind to be like that, because if not, my legs won’t work and above all I’m not going to enjoy the game and I think that That has been, part of playing with the heart, the key in these games to enjoy each point “, he considers.
The Guatemalan surprised him by getting into the Olympic semifinals in a sport traditionally dominated by Asians and Europeans, and welcomed the multitude of messages of support he has received from all over the world, not just from his native Guatemala.
“We come from a continent where badminton is not known. It is very difficult to train, it is difficult to do tournaments. That is why there is this union of all Latinos right now, because we realize that regardless of the country we come from or the limitations, the Latino person, the Latino player has talent, “he said.
Cordón hopes that his performance, together with these types of international events “will motivate badminton in Latin America to continue growing and we can have the opportunity to have more support and above all to have more tournaments so that the level of the entire continent. come up “.
