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USA Badminton Team Wins Silver Medal in Team Event at the 2007 Pan American Badminton Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
By Cecil Bleiker // U.S. Olympic Committee // May 21, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Badminton Team captured the silver medal in the team competition this weekend at the 2007 Pan American Badminton Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Host country Canada came away with the team title and Peru finished the event in third place.
Members of the USA Badminton Team that competed in the team competition at the 2007 Pan American Badminton Championships included 2005 World Champion Howard Bach (San Francisco, Calif./Orange, Calif.), Khan “Bob” Malaythong (Rockville, Md./Orange, Calif.), Eva Lee (Orange, Calif.), Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.), Eric Go (Palo Alto, Calif./Orange, Calif.), Nicholas Jinadasa (Long Beach, Calif.), Jennifer Coleman (Madison, Wis./Newport Beach, Calif.) and Lauren Todt (Danville, Calif.). The USA Badminton Team is coached by Cai Zi Min (Orange, Calif.).
In the individual competition at the 2007 Pan American Badminton Championships, Bach and Lee teamed up to win the gold medal in the mixed doubles competition, defeating Canada’s Mike Beres and Valerie Loker two games to none (21-18 and 21-17) in the gold medal match to take the title.
Bach and Malaythong received the silver medal in men’s doubles after falling, 13-21 and 19-21, in the finals to Beres and William Milroy of Canada. Lee and Mangkalakiri also received the silver medal in the women’s doubles, dropping the final, one game to two (20-22; 21-17; 18-21) to Canada’s Fiona McKee and Charmaine Reid.
With the 2008 Olympic Qualifying season just underway (officially began on May 1, 2007); the 2007 Pan American Badminton Championships were the first opportunity for USA Badminton athletes to earn coveted Olympic Qualification points. For the sport of badminton, qualification into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China is based solely on the athlete’s ranking in the Badminton World Federation on April 30, 2008. The qualification season runs from May 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008.
For the complete bracket and results from the 2007 Pan American Badminton Championships, please visit www.panambadminton.org or www.badmintonpanamcalgary.com.
For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker, United States Olympic Committee NGB Services Manager at 719-866-4608. This press release is also available on the USOC’s media specific website at www.usocpressbox.org.
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