RIO DE JANEIRO -- Howard Shu was just 10 when he lost a match in his first badminton tournament to the top junior in his class.Shus mother was wowed by the talent on the other side of the net and asked the winners mother if her son would like to compete with Howard in doubles.The mother was blunt:Your son sucks.Shu laughed as he recalled the story that would serve as motivation for him to become more a serious badminton player. He returned to the same tournament the next year and beat the kid who was too good to team with Shu.Shus been winning matches around the world for most of the last 15 years.The top-ranked American singles player has his biggest match yet when he opens play Friday in a sport known more as a lazy backyard summer game than a serious sport in the Summer Games.China won gold in all five badminton events in 2012, and many top Chinese will again be contenders when play opens Wednesday.Shu would love to leave with a medal to go with another passport stamp. Shus Instagram page looks like something straight out of Wheres Waldo. Theres Shu chilling in a pool after the Olympic trials in Tahiti. Or hes snapping a selfie from Table Mountain in South Africa.He even posted a short clip of the time he pulled on a wetsuit and went swimming with the sharks in Cape Town, South Africa after he won a major international tournament. Sometimes, hes just kicking up his Jordans and relaxing.Shus thirst for adventure and his world-class skills have made him the natural spokesman for an American team hopeful of bringing home the countrys first medal in the sport. Badminton is on the short list of sports the U.S. has failed to even medal in, joining handball, rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis and trampoline.The 25-year-old Shu, who graduated from UCLA, isnt a strong medal favorite. But he has the type of charisma that could help Americans take notice of badminton for at least a few days should he advance deep into the tournament.Badminton is stuck in the same Rio de Janeiro complex as other minor sports that include weightlifting and table tennis. At the Olympic level, badminton smashes reach over 200 mph and boast long rallies that could rival the most thrilling in tennis. The shuttle whizzes across the net like a darting mosquito and only the best make sure the shuttlecock -- made of 16 goose feathers stuck to a leather-covered round cork, that weighs only about 5 grams -- never hits the floor.Every player has a different style. When I go on the court, its really like art, Shu said.Shus parents are both from Taiwan and his father played badminton. Shu started playing at 8, running around like a little brat when he tagged along with his dad. Shu played soccer and baseball, even basketball, which forged what he called an addiction to sneakers.Yes, the Shu certainly fits when it comes to calling him a Jordan aficionado.The sneaker junkie has more than 100 pairs of sneaks and multiples of his favorites (one to rock, one to stock) with a fondness for the Air Jordan 11s.Hes put some serious miles on his size-10 soles. The 6-foot-1 Shu has dominated badminton around the world, especially last year when he hit 30 countries in 12 tournaments, including one six-week stretch where he played on six continents.And one serious plunge with great white sharks .I was on such a high from a winning a tournament, I just said, `Im doing it, he said.Back on dry land, Shu posed for a photo with Kevin Durant at the opening ceremony parade and later watched the U.S. squad romp over Venezuela with friends and family from home.Hes part of a seven-member delegation thats a longshot to medal -- but hopeful to open American eyes to an underappreciated sport.I just want to go out there and show people what the sport can be, Shu said.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org Throwback Ravens Jerseys .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. http://www.cheapravensjerseyselite.com/ . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Cheap Anthony Averett Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Cheap Zach Sieler Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Sri Lanka 330 for 7 (Dickwella 94, Kusal Mendis 94, Dhananjaya de Silva 58, Holder 3-57) beat West Indies 329 for 9 (Lewis 148, Holder 45*, Lakmal 2-67, Kulasekara 2-73) by one runScorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEvin Lewis, with just a handful of internationals under his name, struck a counter-attacking maiden ODI century to give West Indies more than just a sniff in their attempt to gun down a 300-plus chase for the first time in ODIs. Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder then came up with sprightly cameos to take West Indies to within 24 of Sri Lankas 330 for 7. Then, in a mirror image of Saturdays collapse that resulted in a tie, West Indies stumbled, this time to a one-run loss triggered by panic, poor shot selection and lackadaisical running between the wickets.The result meant Sri Lanka were assured of a berth in Sundays final, while West Indies and Zimbabwe will play a virtual semi-final on Friday to earn the right to meet Sri Lanka at the same venue. A tie or no-result would knock Zimbabwe out and ensure West Indies qualification.West Indies were in control until the last five overs of their chase. Carlos Brathwaite and Holder put together 45 for the seventh wicket, before Nuwan Kulasekara delivered an inswinging yorker that beat Brathwaite and hit middle stump. Suranga Lakmal then took over, bowling full and taking out Ashley Nurse in the next over. Suddenly, West Indies, who were cruising for most parts of the chase, needed 19 off 10 balls.It eventually boiled down to the final over, bowled by Nuwan Pradeep, with West Indies needing 10. After a single and a dot off the first two balls, Sulieman Benn muscled the third over deep midwicket to spark excitement in the West Indies camp. With three needed off three, Pradeep speared another yorker, before Benn holed out to sweeper cover, leaving Holder to score three off the final delivery. Pradeep bowled another one into the blockhole, with Holder only managing to squeeze it to cover for a single as Sri Lanka pulled off a heist.That meant Lewis 148, which contained 15 fours and four sixes, went in vain. His enterprise ensured West Indies rode the mini-wobbles and stood abreast with the asking rate for most parts of the chase. Then with the equation back into familiar territory - 154 off the last 20 overs with seven wickets in hand - he slowed down just a bit before recovering from a bout of cramps for one final hurrah.Brute force was justt one element of his knock.dddddddddddd. It was the other element - luck - that had played an equal part in West Indies chase. He was first put down on 26 by Kusal Mendis at backward point off Lakmal. Pradeep then reprieved him on 41 at mid-on. Then on 53, a close lbw shout went Lewis way. Given out, he reviewed the decision only for the third umpire to find the ball had pitched fractionally outside leg stump.That wasnt it. He survived a run-out chance on 114 when Niroshan Dickwella dislodged the bails before he could collect the ball cleanly. He continued to swing his way to make 148 before being stranded mid-pitch courtesy a mix-up with his captain Holder, with West Indies slipping to 262 for 6, needing 69 off 57 balls. Sri Lankas fielding nightmare extended to the end overs, with Upul Tharanga dropping a skier at mid-on to reprieve Carlos Brathwaite on 3. Sri Lankas fast bowlers, however, hit the blockhole with regularity in the end overs to bail the side out.That the bowlers had as many to defend was courtesy enterprising 94s from Kusal Mendis and Dickwella that contributed to Sri Lankas highest ODI score against West Indies. They lost Kusal Perera, cleaned up by Shannon Gabriel in the third over, but quickly got back on track courtesy Dhananjaya de Silvas exuberant 58. At one stage, Dhananjaya and Dickwella matched each other stroke-for-stroke; the shot of the innings being Dickwellas adventurous Dilscoop off Carlos Brathwaite.Dropped on 39 when Shai Hope put down a tough chance behind the stumps, Dickwella made them pay as he stitched together a 107-run stand with Kusal Mendis, who gradually switched gears. The hallmark of Kusals effort against spin was in sharp contrast to his measured approach against the fast bowlers - Gabriel constantly clocked average speeds of 145kph in a lively opening spell despite battling through a hamstring niggle - on a grassy surface that was half as menacing as it looked.Getting outside the line of the stumps, the sweep and the pull was his preferred mode of operation as he peppered the leg-side boundaries with five sixes. He fell six short of a maiden ODI century while trying to play a late dab, before Tharanga, the stand-in captain, and Pathirana then lent the finishing touches with cameos which made a difference in the end. Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Hoodies Cheap Jerseys Throwback Cheap Jerseys Throwback ' ' '