Surprise Tokyo 2022 Guatemalan Olympics Kevin Cordon. Guatemalan men’s singles Kevin Cordon is again attracting attention at the 2022 Tokyo Olympics.
Appearing to be a dark horse, he successfully stepped on the semi-finals. Kevin Cordon, became the talk of the Tokyo 2022 Olympics because of his slick performance. However, Cordon had to work hard since childhood to be where he is today.
Cordon had to go through an uphill battle. At the beginning of his profession, he left his family and traveled since he was 12 years old to become a badminton player.
Cordon performed well by eliminating the South Korean badminton player, Heo Kwang Hee, on Saturday (31/7). The 34-year-old sportsman won two games 21-13, 21-18 in the quarter-finals.
This result was a surprise in the badminton men’s singles field because Cordon did not come from a favorite player. Even his country of origin, Guatemala, is not one of the favorite countries in the sport of feather clapping.
But it’s also the status that has almost made it through to the final set of the world’s biggest multi-event since July 23.
The Guatemalan men’s singles method, Kevin Cordon, in the Tokyo 2022 Olympic badminton event is the realization of the vision of his country’s badminton league.
The Guatemalan Badminton League has a specific vision of promoting badminton practice as an efficient facility to improve the physical culture of the community in a deep way with the direction of contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens.
Besides that, in matters that are more of an achievement nature, the Guatemalan Badminton League wants to increase the level of competitiveness of athletes both on the national or international stage. The two visions are clearly displayed on the official website of the Guatemalan Badminton League.
The shared vision is then accompanied by several values of respect, such as respect for other sportsmen, the spirit of sports, equality, cooperation, and sportsmanship.
At the Tokyo 2022 Olympics, those visions and values were embodied in the struggle of their men’s singles athlete, Kevin Cordon.
In the men’s singles competition, Kevin Cordon appeared attractive from the group stage until he made it through to the semi-finals.
In the quarter-finals, he met South Korean sportsman Heo Kwang-hee, who in the group stage was able to surprise by defeating Kento Momota (Japan) as the world’s number one men’s singles. Heo Kwang-hee’s success in conquering Kento Momota did not make Kevin Cordon flinch.
Kevin Cordon even appeared optimistic until he succeeded in eliminating Lee Kwang-hee through straight games or two straight games. After defeating Lee Kwang-hee, Kevin Cordon also has the right to appear in the semi-finals of the men’s singles badminton at the Tokyo 2022 Olympics.
Cordon admitted that he had been to the capital city of Guatemala, Guatemala City, to pursue his dream. The badminton player who was born in Zacapa, a city which is 112 km from the capital city of Guatemala, went with determination.
Fortunately, Cordon’s parents gave him their blessing even though his father and mother did not really understand badminton. Because, in Guatemala, badminton is not a well-known sport and holds promise for the future.
However, Cordon still makes badminton his way of life. The Guatemalan Badminton League also provided him with the guarantee of proper training and living in the capital.
“My parents didn’t know anything about badminton, but they said, ‘If you want to be a badminton player and make your dreams come true, go to the capital,’ said Cordon, quoting from the official website of the BWF, Sunday (1/8/2022).
“I went alone, alone. the league in the City explained there were some little kids with big talent, and they turned us to the capital and said, ‘OK, we’ll give you training, school, food, facilities.’ That’s why I chose to leave,” continued the 34-year-old badminton player.
At that time, Cordon’s mother just wanted her son to be a good person. Cordon also always remembers his mother’s message that he forbade him to approach alcohol and drugs.
“But my mother has the last word. He said, ‘Okay, go on but be careful, no alcohol, no drugs.’ After 20 years, my family is happier than me,” said Cordon.
Although he decided to become a badminton player, Cordon’s first hope was apparently to become a soccer player. He was inspired by his father who was called a soccer player. In fact, Cordon’s first name was inspired by Kevin Keegan, who was called his father’s idol.
“My father used to play football, and at that time one of the best players in the World Cup was Kevin Keegan from England, so he said ‘If I have a child, his name is Kevin.’ So that’s why my name is an English name,” explained Cordon.
“I wanted to be a football player, then badminton came into my life. My dream (to win a medal) in Beijing (2008) and now in my 4th Olympics, it’s still the same dream, only now I’m enjoying it more, “said the 34-year-old badminton player.
