Thuy Linh lost after 2 sets, a narrow score against a player ranked 15 places higher on the rankings. In terms of rankings, losing is not surprising. Thuy Linh deserves praise even more when both sets are 22-20. That is, the American opponent could not win in the official score (21).
Why should Thuy Linh be praised for losing that match rather than her clear victory against the Australian in the previous match? We know that Olympic victories have a certain meaning, but because the opponent is ranked 81st in the world, that is not a true measure of ability.
It's a hard habit to break - not only badminton but in all sports, with domestic media, winning is praise without restraint. Not only Thuy Linh, the same thing happened when Le Duc Phat easily defeated his German opponent who was 12 places behind.
It can be understood that praise is a way of encouragement, also to create excitement for devotees. But some people say that a good teacher is one who is sparing in compliments. So frugal that sometimes students who win championships are still frugal. Because they know, the process of learning and improving will be very long and very arduous. But praising makes it easy to be complacent.
Immediately saw that in Thuy Linh's second match. There are excellent moments, there are moments of ecstasy to equalize the score, but there are many more bad shots, the cause of which is an unstable mentality. A very common story of Vietnamese people is that they are strong in difficulties but are lax, weak, subjective, and tense when in a state that requires concentration, especially in important moments.
Therefore, emphasis must still be placed on training and professional development, along with training in psychological bravery. Just like how Koreans train their archers.
