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PanAm Games: Brazil, Mexico, Canada Lead Qualifiers

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and the 1999 George Washington University Badminton Camp. **

June 4, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Surprising Brazil and Mexico as well as PanAmerican badminton power Canada have landed the maximum number of qualifiers for the badminton medal competition at the upcoming Pan-American Games scheduled for late July and early August in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. In the qualifiers list issued by the International Badminton Federation and the PanAmerican Badminton Federation today, the three countries have qualified three entries each in the two singles events and two entries apiece in the three doubles events.

Like the Olympics, the PanAm Games badminton competition is limited to the top players on the world ranking list as of a specified date. For the PanAm games, only the top 88 badminton players in the two Americas on the world ranking list os of June 1, 1999 are eligible to play, 16 each in men's and women's singles, 20 each (10 pairs apiece) in the men's and women's doubles and 16 (8 pairs) in the mixed doubles. Each country is also limited to a maximum of 3 men's singles, 3 women's singles, 4 men's doubles (2 pairs), 4 women's doubles (2 pairs) and 4 mixed doubles (2 pairs) qualifiers.

Brazil and Mexico though are not expected to be in the thick of the medal hunt. Canada and the USA are the favourites to bag the most medals, with the USA expected to give the Canadians a run for their money in the men's singles and men's doubles events.

The USA's Kevin Han is the current PanAmerican continental champion in men's singles. Han is also the men's doubles titleholder with partner Howard Bach. Denyse Julien of Canada is the women's singles champion as well as the mixed doubles champion with partner Iain Sydie. Milaine Cloutier and Robbyn Hermitage of Canada are the women's doubles titleists.

At the 1995 Pan-American Games in Argentina, Canada swept the gold medals. Jamie Dawson took gold in men's singles, Anil Kaul and Iain Sydie won the men's doubles, Julien captured the women's singles as well as the doubles with partner Sian Deng. Iain Sydie and Denyse Julien were the mixed doubles gold medalists.

Kevin Han of the USA is favoured to take the men's singles gold medal this time around. Mike Beres of Canada, Mario Carulla of Peru and Christian Erichsen of Guatemala could surprise.

In men's doubles, Han is not currently scheduled to compete. Howard Bach has qualified with Mark Manha with whom he has won two Class A international tournaments. Bach, though, has been injured and did not play in the recent world championships. Canada's Iain Sydie and Brent Olynyk should figure in the title chase together with Bach and Manha.

In women's singles, there is no clear early favourite. Denyse Julien has not displayed top form recently, specially after she had minor knee surgery. Any of the Canadian entries as well as Yeping Tang of the USA, Lorena Blanco of Peru and Adrienn Kocsis, the former Hungarian international who is now a Peruvian citizen, could bag the gold medal. The Cubans could surprise.

In women's doubles, Milaine Cloutier and Robbyn Hermitage of Canada are the favourites while in the mixed doubles, defending titleholders Iain Sydie and Denyse Julien did not qualify and will not compete unless one of the two Canadian qualifiers is unable to play. Sydie and Julien's absence leaves the golden door open for either of the Canadian pairings - Brent Olynyk and Robbyn Hermitage or Mike Beres and Kara Solmundson.

The qualifiers:

Men's Singles
FERNANDEZ, Mariano (Argentina)
MADSEN, Hugo (Argentina)
MEYER, Cristian (Argentina)
CARTER, Brian (Barbados)
FORDE, Athelstone (Barbados)
KUMASAKA, Guilherme (Brazil)
PARDO, Guilherme (Brazil)
SANTOS, Leandro (Brazil)
ABRA, Brian (Canada)
BERES, Michael (Canada)
MILROY, William (Canada)
MUNOZ BURGOS, Maurico (Chile)
PEREDA, Jose (Cuba)
ODIJK, Wilco (Curacao)
ANGUIANO, Erick (Guatemala)
ERICHSEN, Christian (Guatemala)
YANG, Pedro (Guatemala)
GRAHAM, Bradley (Jamaica)
PAUL, Roy (Jamaica)
RICHARDS, Robert (Jamaica)
AMAYA, Arturo (Mexico)
LOPEZLLERO, Luis (Mexico)
MONREAL, Bernardo (Mexico)
CARULLA SCHULTZ, Mario (Peru)
COX, Guillermo (Peru)
ITURRIAGA, Jose Antonio (Peru)
BRANDON, Oscar (Surinam)
STJEWARD, Derrick (Surinam)
BACH, Howard (USA)
HAN, Kevin (USA)
MANHA, Mark (USA)

Ladies' Singles
BUGALLO CASTRO, Lorena (Argentina)
GARAY, Alice (Argentina)
FORDE, Dionne (Barbados)
AHNERT, Lais (Brazil)
KUMASAKA, Fernanda (Brazil)
NAKANO, Cristina (Brazil)
JULIEN, Denyse (Canada)
PATRICK, Jody (Canada)
SOLMUNDSON, Kara (Canada)
MACAYA SALINAS, Pamela (Chile)
LEON, Yesenia (Cuba)
LOZA, Edith (Cuba)
ORTIZ, Helen (Cuba)
OROZCO, Ruth (Guatemala)
CUPIDON, Shackerah (Jamaica)
SAUNDERS, Nigella (Jamaica)
ESTRADA, Veronica (Mexico)
MELGOSA, Gabriela (Mexico)
RODRIGUEZ, Gabriella (Mexico)
BELLIDO UGARTE, Ximena (Peru)
BLANCO ZULOAGA, Lorena (Peru)
KOCSIS, Adrienn (Peru)
CHEN, Lily (USA)
TANG, Yeping (USA)
ZIMMERMAN, Kathy (USA)

Men's Doubles
MEYER, Cristian and MADSEN, Hugo (Argentina)
CARTER, Brian and FORDE, Athelstone (Barbados)
PARDO, Guilherme and TREVELIN, Ricardo (Brazil)
SANTOS, Leandro and KUMASAKA, Guilherme (Brazil)
SYDIE, Iain and OLYNYK, Brent (Canada)
MILROY, Bobby and MILROY, William (Canada)
YANG, Pedro and ERICHSEN, Christian (Guatemala)
PAUL, Roy and GRAHAM, Bradley (Jamaica)
MONREAL, Bernardo and LOPEZLLERO, Luis (Mexico)
AMAYA, Arturo and GUTTERREZ PESQUEIRA, H. Israel (Mexico)
ITURRIAGA, Jose Antonio and CARULLA SCHULTZ, Mario (Peru)
BRANDON, Oscar and STJEWARD, Derrick (Surinam)
MANHA, Mark and BACH, Howard (USA)
SCHOPPE, Dean and FOGARTY, Mathew (USA)

Ladies' Doubles
GARAY, Alice and BUGALLO CASTRO, Lorena (Argentina)
KUMASAKA, Fernanda and AHNERT, Lais (Brazil)
NAKANO, Cristina and HAO, Min Huai (Brazil)
HERMITAGE, Robbyn and CLOUTIER, Milaine (Canada)
JULIEN, Denyse and REID, Charmaine (Canada)
LOZA, Edith and LEON Yesenia (Cuba)
SAUNDERS, Nigella and CUPIDON, Shackerah (Jamaica)
RODRIGUEZ, Gabriella and SALAZAR, Aurora (Mexico)
MELGOSA, Gabriela and ESTRADA, Veronica (Mexico)
BELLIDO UGARTE, Ximena and BLANCO ZULOAGA, Lorena (Peru)
KOCSIS, Adrienn and RIVERA ALIAGA, Doriana (Peru)
ZIMMERMAN, Kathy and WESTERMANN, Stefanie (USA)
TANG, Yeping and CHEN, Lily (USA)

Mixed Doubles
MEYER, Cristian and GARAY, Alice (Argentina)
SANTOS, Leandro and KUMASAKA, Fernanda (Brazil)
TREVELIN, Ricardo and NAKANO, Cristina (Brazil)
BERES, Michael and SOLMUNDSON, Kara (Canada)
OLYNYK, Brent and HERMITAGE, Robbyn (Canada)
PEREDA, Jose and LOZA, Edith (Cuba)
MUNOZ BURGOS, Maurico and MACAYA SALINAS, Pamela (Chile)
PAUL, Roy and SAUNDERS, Nigella (Jamaica)
GRAHAM, Bradley and CUPIDON, Shackerah (Jamaica)
MONREAL, Bernardo and MELGOSA, Gabriela (Mexico)
LOPEZLLERO, Luis and ESTRADA, Veronica (Mexico)
CARULLA SCHULTZ, Mario and KOCSIS, Adrienn (Peru)
COX, Guillermo and JIMENO GOICOCHEA, Sandra (Peru)
BRANDON, Oscar and HAYNES, Nathalie (Surinam)
HALES, Chris and TANG, Yeping (USA)

(ds)