World badminton champs Ko, Shin to put team first in Incheon

Seoul: Winning the men`s doubles crown at the badminton world championships may not earn Ko Sung-hyun and Shin Baek-choel the chance to play for gold in the event at the Asian Games, but the pair have promised to give their all for South Korea in the team competition in Incheon.

Ko and Shin, ranked 10th in the world, upset world number one duo and compatriots Lee Yong-dae and Yoo Yeon-seong in Sunday`s final in Copenhagen, with another Korean pairing, Kim Gi-jung and Kim Sa-rang, finishing third.

Each country is only eligible to enter two doubles teams in each event at the Asian Games and with the Kims ranked sixth in the world Ko and Shin are likely to play together only in the team event.

"We may not play in the doubles, but I know we`ll get our chance to shine at the team event," Yonhap News agency quoted Ko as saying on Tuesday. "Even if we don`t get to play in the doubles, we will try to cheer on the other guys."

Ko and Shin beat the world number ones 22-20 21-23 21-18 in a pulsating final, leaving Lee Yong-dae with his third silver medal at the world championships.

"No matter how hard I try, I find myself becoming conscious of that," said Lee, who won the mixed doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I think Sung-hyun and Baek-cheol were more relaxed than our team. We`ll try to learn from this experience and hopefully we can perform better if we reach the final at the Asian Games."

South Korea`s badminton head coach Lee Deuk-choon expected tough competition at the Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 Asian Games in Incheon, west of Seoul.

"We could see that players from Asia have been working hard and really gearing toward the Asian Games," Lee said.

"In some ways, the Asian Games may prove to be more difficult than the world championships."