One more Vietnamese Olympic hopeful goes home

Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh could not make his Olympic journey further than the group stage after his 0 – 2 defeat at Group D second game.

Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh, one of the country’s largest hopes for a London medal, could not make his Olympic journey further than the group stage after his 0 – 2 defeat at Group D second game Tuesday.

Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh plays against India's Kashyap Parupalli during their men's singles group play stage Group D badminton match during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Wembley Arena July 31, 2012. Photo: REUTERS

The world number 11 lost 9 – 21 and 14 – 21 to Indian rival Kashyap Parupalli at the men’s single group play stage at Wembley Arena.

The world ranking didn’t seem to talk in the match as Parupalli stood 10 places lower than Minh on the tally.

Instead, the Indian proved far stronger and quicker than Minh, who was obviously under heavy psychological pressure. He neutralized all of the attacks from Minh with his effective defense while also thrashing the Vietnamese by his powerful tactics.

The match was considered the final of Group D, as both Minh and Parupalli have previously beaten Tan Yuhan of Belgium, and only the group leader will advance into the top 16 round.

Earlier seven Vietnamese hopefuls, including three gymnasts, two shooters, and two weightlifters had to cease their London journey as they could not make their way through the event’s qualifiers.