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Sun Jun's Olympic Participation in Doubt
Badminton world champion Sun Jun is not only battling emerging young talents but also a career-threatening injury for an Olympic appearance in Sydney, Chinadaily reported Monday.
The 25-year-old who won his long-awaited first world title for men's singles in last year's championships, suffered his worst matches since hurting his right Achilles tendon in February.
Sun was forced to sit out of May's Thomas Cup competitions and several other major tournaments, causing a big slide in his world ranking.
Although he had won a ticket to Sydney with an eligible ranking in mid-July, Sun was unable to regain his form in following events.
He was stopped in the third round of the Thailand Open last month and folded in the first-round of a Indonesian event later.
In Olympic trials on August 5, in Shanxi Province, Sun was beaten by newcomer Xia Xuanze in straight sets 10-15 and 9-15.
"He is trying hard and the recovery will decide whether he can participate in the games,'' his coach Zhong Bo said.
The coming Malaysian Open will be the last chance for Sun to prove himself before the Olympics.
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