KUALA LUMPUR (15 MAY 2010) – “We will be back stronger,” said China chief coach Li Yongbo after the defending champions surrendered the Uber Cup to South Korea - going down 1-3 in the final at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
The mighty Chinese had been the undisputed Uber Cup queens since 1998.
However, the Great Wall crumbled this evening as the Koreans broke the jinx of having lost the last five Uber Cup finals to China.
Yongbo blamed inexperience as the main cause of the defeat and said: “China did not play well today although I had confidently predicted that we will retain the Cup.
“However, confidence alone which was based on our past matches in the group stage, quarter-finals and the semi-finals, cannot win title. Having confidence does not mean you win.”
In the same breath, Yongbo added that most of the teams do not want China to keep on winning.
"It becomes rather boring. So it is good to let Korea win the Cup to give badminton some variety," he quipped.
Yongbo said China will now prepare for other upcoming tournaments like the World Championships and the Asian Games.
“But we will be back for the Uber Cup. We want to take the Cup back in two years time. The young players who froze today will be much stronger and more experienced to face such a crowd,” added Yongbo.
“Anyway, I wish to congratulate the Koreans for their splendid win. They deserve to lift the Cup. They were the better team.”