Lee starting things off this morning sweeping Charmaine Reid of Canada in the ladies singles finals two games to none (21-14; 21-18).

“The singles is the one I’m most proud of because I don’t have any partners out there to help me,” said Lee. “I feel like I depend on my partners a lot in doubles, so this one I won entirely on my own. It feels like I’m up in the clouds. My heart can’t stop beating!”

Lee followed that up an hour later winning the mixed doubles crown with partner Howard Bach (San Francisco, Calif./Orange, Calif.). Lee and Bach (San Francisco, Calif./Orange, Calif.) also took on Canada in the mixed doubles final. Bach and Lee matched up against Valerie Loker and Mike Beres. The match also pitted the women’s singles champion (Lee) against the men’s singles champion (Beres).

Lee was thrilled to win three gold medals and is anticipating seeing her parents when she returns home.

“Actually I made a deal with my parents that if I won three gold medals they would get me a new cell phone,” said Lee. “We don’t’ get much money for winning, especially compared to countries like Peru, Guatelmala and all of the other countries. They get $50,000 for winning (one gold) and I get a cell phone, but I have to win three (gold). My new phone is going to be a Sony Ericsson that isn’t out yet.”

Also receiving their bronze medal in the medal ceremonies today was Eric Go (Palo Alto, Calif./Orange, Calif.) who won the bronze in men’s singles and May Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.) and Bob Malaythong (Rockville, Md./Orange, Calif.) who won bronze in mixed doubles.

In yesterday’s (Wednesday, July 18) finals Lee and Mangkalakiri won gold in women’s doubles, Bach and Malaythong (Rockville, Md./Orange, Calif.) captured the silver medal in men’s doubles. Jamie Subandhi (Westminster, Calif.) and Joanne Chen (Irvine, Calif.) won bronze in women’s doubles and received their medals yesterday.

The USA Badminton Team wraps up the 2007 Pan American Games with seven medals (three gold, one silver, and three bronze). In all USA Badminton athletes will be carting home 12 medals with each member of the team winning a medal except for Nicholas Jinadasa (Long Beach, Calif.) who narrowly missed bronze in men’s doubles. The performance at these Pan American Games is the best ever for a USA Badminton team.

2007 United States Pan American Games Badminton Team Results:

Women:
Eva Lee (Orange, Calif.); Gold, women’s singles; Gold, women’s doubles; Gold mixed doubles
Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.); Gold, women’s doubles; Bronze mixed doubles
Jamie Subandhi (Westminster, Calif.); Bronze; women’s doubles
Kuei-Ya “Joanne” Chen (Irvine, Calif.); Bronze; women’s doubles

Men:
Howard Bach (San Francisco, Calif./Orange, Calif.); Gold, mixed doubles; Silver, men’s doubles
Khan “Bob” Malaythong (Rockville, Md./Orange, Calif.); Silver, men’s doubles; Bronze, mixed doubles
Eric Go (Palo Alto, Calif./Orange, Calif.); Bronze, men’s singles
Nicholas Jinadasa (Long Beach, Calif.)

Head Coach: Zi Min Cai (Orange, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Kevin Hussey (Charleston, Ill.)
Team Leader: Linda Shen (Baldwin Park, Calif.)

Please visit www.tournamentsoftware.com for complete results from the 2007 Pan American Games.

For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker, United States Olympic Committee NGB Services Manager at 011-55-21-8890-3153. This press release is also available on the USOC’s media specific website at www.usocpressbox.org.