Minh in good form for London

HA NOI — As the world No 11, Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Tien Minh will be seeded in the badminton event at the upcoming London Olympics.

There will be 16 groups in the men's singles event and players will be competing in a round robin format in the first stage, applied this year for the first time in history.

The strongest rivals from each group will advance to the knock-out round.

Minh will be the only Vietnamese shuttler to have participated in two Olympics and will have a good chance of qualifying for the next round, something he failed to achieve at the last games in Beijing.

"I am excited about going to London and think that I'm in good form after reaching the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open and semi-finals of the Singapore Open, where I faced some of the best players in the world," Minh said.

"My goal is to win from two to three matches and make it through to the knock-out stages. Thanks to everyone who believes in me and my goal of winning a medal.

"I know that winning a Super Series title is difficult. It is even more difficult to win an Olympic medal. I will try my best, but if I don't manage it, I won't be disappointed because the Olympics is a big competition," he said.

Minh will be the first Vietnamese athlete to compete in London on July 28.

The main Vietnamese delegation will leave for the Games on Friday. — VNS