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Danish Open: Chinese Medicine Helped Hoyer To Victory

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Western Canada agents - MAAKL Corporation, Saint Albert, Alberta (Tel 780-458-2026/ Fax 780-459-8891) **

October 20, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Poul-Erik Hoyer of Denmark took top men's singles honors at the recently-concluded Danish Open badminton tourney with the help of the ancient Chinese medical art of acupuncure. Hoyer, the 1996 Olympic Games gold medalist, has been receiving acupuncture treatment for a shoulder injury. He also has had a very tiny acupuncture needle implanted in one of his ears to help improve his blood circulation.

Also contributing to Hoyer's recent victory after a two-year international tournament championship drought was a very focused training effort over the summer. The Olympic champion trained both in his adopted English hometown of Milton Keynes where the English national team training center is located as well as at the Danish national team training center in Brondby.

Over the summer, Hoyer was trying to simulate a training and tournament cycle for the Olympic Games in Sydney which takes place in late September next year. With his success at the Danish Open as well as his bronze medal finish at the world championships this past May, Hoyer has great hopes of repeating as the Olympic champion or at least winning another Olympic medal.

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Hoyer's mother Elvi celebrated her sixtieth birthday this past weekend. The sixth Danish Open title that Hoyer won on Sunday added more joy to the Hoyer family celebration.

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Camilla Martin and Helene Kirkegaard of Denmark displayed the latest in playing outfits for women badminton players at the Danish Open. Martin, the women's singles world champion, and Kirkegaard, one of the top-seeds in women's doubles, were wearing sports skirts instead of the usual playing shorts.

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Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock of Malaysia, men's doubles silver medalists at the 1996 Olympic Games, were not too successful in their second outing since getting back together competitively last month. Cheah and Yap who hope to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games lost in the round-of-16 to Jens Eriksen and Jesper Larsen of Denmark.

The loss sets the Malaysian duo back in their late-starting run at Olympic qualification.

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Mia Audina, the former Indonesian women's singles star who now plays for Netherland, lost in the second round to Tang Chunyu of China, the winner of the Dutch and German Opens, 13-12 and 11-4. This was her second defeat at the hands of the Chinese rookie.

Audina lost to Tang in the finals of the Dutch Open three weekends ago 13-11, 4-11 and 7-11.

At the German Open two weeks ago, Audina lost in the quarterfinals to Zhou Mi of China 8-11 and 6-11.

According to several European coaches, Audina's good showing at the Dutch Open followed by so-so finishes at the German and Danish Opens underlines the former Indonesian star's lack of training after she made the move to Rotterdam from the Indonesian national training camp in Cipayung.

(yyn/mg)