Sun Jun holds the winning edge over his main rival atop men's badminton, but he would be the last person to take a gold medal for granted. Not after the one that got away. In the finals of the 1997 World Championships, the Chinese star led 10-3 in the deciding set against Denmark's Peter Rasmussen. Suddenly, his legs cramped, the apparent result of a long, gruelling semifinal the previous day against Denmark's Paul-Erik Hoyer. Rasmussen scored the last 12 points to escape 16-17, 18-13, 15-10, and Sun crumpled to the floor. That is the last time Sun has stayed down. In 1998, he won the All-England Open and the World Grand Prix title. In one fortnight in 1999, he carried his team to the Sudirman Cup title, then collected the World Championships crown like an IOU, 15-6, 15-13 over Indonesia's Fung Permadi. Sun, who reached the No. 1 ranking early last year, wound up 1999 ranked second behind yet another Dane, Peter Gade Christensen. However, he owned a 5-3 record against Christensen, raising high hopes for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, assuming he qualifies.