Guatemala: The Guatemalan Badminton Federation prepared a special welcome home ceremony for Kevin Cordon upon his return to Guatemala on Wednesday.
The World No. 59 men’s singles player stole the world’s attention as the unseeded managed to storm into the 2020 Olympic badminton men’s singles semi-finals.
He shocked the world of badminton after beating the 8th seeded player Angus Ng Ka Long from Hong Kong in the last Group C match with 22-20, 21-13. Cordon then went on to beat Heo Kwang-hee from South Korea in the quarter-final 21-13, 21-18. Heo, on the other hand, outlasted world number 1, Kento Momota in the last Group A match.
However, Cordon’s run at the Olympics was halted in the hands of Viktor Axelsen from Denmark. He lost to the eventual gold medalist 18-21, 11-21 in the semi-finals. He also failed to win bronze after losing to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in straight-set, 11-21, 13-21.
Despite not being able to win any medal at Tokyo Olympics, the fact that Cordon was able to overperform despite lack of state support, insufficient sporting infrastructure in the country, and limited financial resources, has made him an inspirational figure in Guatemala.
As soon as the plane he boarded arrived in Guatemala on Wednesday, the airplane went under an arch of water for a water salute.
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He attended a small parade after leaving the airport, and Guatemalans were seen chasing the vehicle he was in to celebrate his miracle journey at the Tokyo Olympics.
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