FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 13, 1996 MEDAL FAVORITES - 1996 OLYMPIC BADMINTON COMPETITION (COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) - The following is an event-by-event preview for the 1996 Olympic Badminton Competition (Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga., July 24-August 1). The tournament is a single elimination format, consisting of five events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and for the first time in Olympic history - mixed doubles. Three medals (gold, silver, and bronze) will be awarded in each event. MEN'S SINGLES - The men's singles competition in 1992 was dominated by Indonesia, with the island nation taking all three medals in the competition. 1996 should be no different, although Dane Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen has been very hot of late, winning the 1996 All-England championships and leading his team to the finals of the 1996 Thomas Cup (May 16-26) by defeating Chinese star Dong Jiong. Joko Suprianto (INA) defeated Hoyer-Larsen fairly easily in the Thomas Cup finals 18-14, 15-8, and with World Cup, SEA Games, Japan Open, and World Grand Prix titles under his belt, has to be considered the favorite heading in. 1995 World Champion Heryanto Arbi will likely strike bronze in Atlanta. PREDICTION: Gold - Joko Suprianto (Indonesia) Silver - Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Denmark) Bronze - Heryanto Arbi (Indonesia) Dark Horses - Allan Budi Kusuma (INA), Dong Jiong (CHN), Park Sung Woo (KOR) WOMEN'S SINGLES - It is almost a given that 1992 Gold medalist Susi Susanti (INA), 1992 Silver Medalist Bang Soo Hyun (KOR), and Ye Zhaoying (CHN) will finish in the top three, but in what order is the question. It seems that on any given day one can, and has, defeated the other. Ye had beaten Susanti in three of their last four meetings, until they met at the 1996 Uber Cup (world women's team championships) in May, where Susanti was victorious 4-11, 11-5, 11-5. Susanti has already struck gold however, and the recent loss will likely make medal-less Ye hungrier than ever headed into Atlanta. Although Bang has defeated both Susanti and Ye this year, she lacks the consistency in her game needed to finish in the top two. PREDICTION: Gold - Ye Zhaoying (China) Silver - Susi Susanti (Indonesia) Bronze - Bang Soo Hyun (South Korea) Dark Horse: Lim Xiaoqing (SWE), Camilla Martin (DEN) MEN'S DOUBLES - Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky have been the major force in this category, winning five major titles on the 1995-96 World Grand Prix Circuit (1995 World Championships, 1995 World Cup, 1996 Korean, 1996 Japan, 1996 All-England). Their main competition has come from the likes of Malaysia's Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock, but has defeated the pair in two out of three meetings this year. Look for these teams to meet again in the gold medal match, with the Indonesian pair winning in a slugfest. The bronze medal is a virtual toss-up between Indonesian's Denny Kantono/Antonius and Gunawan/Bambang Suprianto. Give the bronze to Gunawan/Suprianto by virtue of Gunawan's Olympic experience (1992 men's doubles silver medalist). PREDICTION: Gold - Ricky Subagja/Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) Silver - Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock (Malaysia) Bronze - Gunawan/Bambang Suprianto (Indonesia) Dark Horses: Denny Kantono/Antonius (INA), Jon Holst-Christensen/Thomas Lund (DEN) WOMEN'S DOUBLES - China's Ge Fei/Gu Jun and South Korea's Gil Young Ah/Jang Hye Ock have flip-flopped number one and two world rankings all year, and head to head they are 1-1 on the year. Fatigue may be the deciding factor between these two teams, as Gil will also play in the mixed doubles competition with Kim Dong Moon, and has a good shot advancing to the later rounds there. The battle for the bronze in women's singles is wide open, but look for third ranked Chinese pair Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongshu to pull ahead of the rest of the pack by virtue of neither player competing in mixed doubles. Fourth ranked Danish team member Rikke Olsen, fifth ranked English team member Julie Bradbury, and sixth ranked Chinese team member Peng Xingyong are all playing in the mixed doubles competition. PREDICTION: Gold - Ge Fei/Gu Jun (China) Silver - Gil Young Ah/Jang Hye Ock (South Korea) Bronze - Qin Yiyuan/Tang Yongshu (China) Dark Horses - Helene Kirkegaard/Rikke Olsen (DEN), Julie Bradbury/Joanne Wright (ENG), Chen Ying/Peng Zingyong (CHN), Eliza/Rosiana Zelin (INA) MIXED DOUBLES - The un-retirement of 1992 men's doubles gold medalist Park Joo Bong has turned the mixed doubles competition upside-down. Pairing with Ra Kyung Min, the duo has seen their world ranking rise from unranked to number one in a period of only six months. With their recent All-England victory over England's Simon Archer and Julie Bradbury, they have to be considered favorites. 1995 World Grand Prix champions Heryanto Trikus/Minarti Timur will likely finish a close second. Timur, a likely medal contender in women's singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, will be extra hungry at this year's Games. She was banned from the 1992 competition following a positive drug test for banned cold medicine, which her coach had given to her. With an 1992 Olympic bronze medal under her belt in women's doubles, look for Gil Young Ah and partner Kim Dong Moon to finish ahead of unproven Chinese pairs Chen Xingdong/Peng Xingyong and Liu Jianjun/Sun Man. PREDICTION: Gold - Park Joo Bong/Ra Kyung Min (Korea) Silver - Heryanto Trikus/Minarti Timur (Indonesia) Bronze - Kim Dong Moon/Gil Young Ah (Korea) Dark Horses - Chen Xingdong/Peng Xingyong (CHN), Liu Jianjun/Sun Man (CHN), Simon Archer/Julie Bradbury (ENG) (FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PAUL PAWLACZYK, USBA COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT 719-578-4808, E-MAIL: USBA1996@aol.com. AS OF JULY 6, PAUL CAN BE REACHED IN ATLANTA VIA PAGER AT 1-800-946-4646, PIN# 2004333)