Thomas one step away from title

Denmark's Thomas Laybourne had once bade adiue to badminton after losing interest in the game but now being close to fulfiling his world championship title dream along with his mixed doubles partner Kamilla Rytter Juhl, the shuttler feels he had taken the right decision of returning back to the sport.

Thomas and Kamilla on Saturday reached the finals of the mixed doubles event in the World Badminton Championship, beating top seed Korean pair of Yong Dae Lee and Hyo Jung Lee 18-21 21-9 21-18.

"I lost interest in badminton when I was 17 years old and so had stopped playing but I started playing again after a couple of years and today reaching the finals in Hyderabad, I feel that was the right decision," Thomas said after the semifinal victory.

Returning to the court, however, was not easy and it was only in 2004 that Thomas, partnering Kamilla won his first big tournament, the Dutch Open and then followed it up with the Danish national in 2005.

Thomas, who will touch 32 this September, said he wants to win the World Championship and an Olympic gold before retiring.

"I have these two goals in life and now that the world championship is a step away I would carry on till the London Olympics in 2012.

"I know I am 31 but honestly I feel young and fresh. I want to train harder and make a last ditch at the London Olympics, after that may be I'll stop," he said.

The Dane duo also won the 2008 World Super Series Masters and was the finalist in the All England Championship in 2005.

Thomas, however, rued the absence of proper infrastructure for the game in Denmark.

"We don't have proper facilites back home and we can train only for 2-3 hours which is not enough," he said.

He felt the reason behind Asia's domination in badminton is their early introduction to the game.

"We get education first and then we persue badminton and so it takes time to get mature and be at your best, where as in Asian countries like China and Malaysian, they start so early. It is a problem but may be its two different countries so things are different," Thomas signed off.