FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
July 24, 1996

AMERICAN HAN FALLS TO KNOWLES IN HARD FOUGHT BATTLE  

(ATLANTA, Ga.) - Kevin Han (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had all of
America in his corner today, but the  "U - S - A" chants were not
enough to put him over the top, as he was edged by Great Britain's
Peter  Knowles 2-15, 15-10, 15-7 in the first round of the men's
singles Olympic badminton competition at  Georgia State University.

Game one was all Han (ranked No. 63 by the International Badminton
Federation), as masterful cross- court net play coupled with unforced
errors by Knowles (No. 27) allowed him to roar to a 9-2 lead.  He
closed the deal with a series of cross-court smashes, and came out on
top, 15-2. 

Things were much different in the second game however, as Knowles
switched to the slow end of the  court.  There he had far greater
control of the shuttle, placed shots where he wanted them and ran Han
from the  front to back of the court.  Down 9-0, Han did battle back
to 14-10, but it was too little, too late  as Knowles took the second
game 15-10. 

"In the first game, I was really aggressive and executed my strategy
very well," said Han, the lone U.S.  male competitor.  "But when I
went on the drafty side of the court in the second, I made a great
number of  mistakes."

The third game was all Knowles, as a service error on Han's first
serve was an ominous sign of things to  come.  The 1996 Scottish Open
champion took a commanding 11-1 lead, and with improved net play took
the final game 15-7.

"Peter came out very aggressive off my serve in the third, and it's
real difficult to catch up when you are  behind 10-1," Han said.  "I
loved the way the crowd supported me today, but I feel bad because I
really let  them down."

"Kevin played a fantastic first," said Knowles.  "He used his strategy
of hitting quick winners very well.   Once he got to the second, I
felt he got tired.  I knew it was my game at that point."

Team USA's Erika Von Heiland (No. 89) (Anaheim, Calif.) is the next
U.S. athlete to do battle, as she  takes on the 47th ranked women's
singles player Jeng Shwu-Zen (TPE) at 8:30 p.m.  In tomorrow's
action, Von Heiland and partner Linda French (Elmhurst, Ill.) take on
third-ranked Lisbet Stuer- Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark.

RESULTS - 1st round, men's singles competition Peter Knowles (GBR)
def. Kevin Han (USA) 2-15, 15-10, 15-7

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