Candra aims to retain All England crown<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian men's doubles specialist Candra
\nWijaya is optimistic of retaining his title with partner Tony
\nWijaya in the All England championships in Birmingham, England,
\nnext month.<\/p>\n
\"I really want to be the champion again this time. It's good
\nto be the champion. I always aim to reach the best I can, and
\nhopefully I can retain what I earned last year,\" Candra said
\nafter a training session at the Indonesian Badminton Center in
\nCipayung, East Jakarta, on Monday.<\/p>\n
World number one Candra said the All England was part of his
\npreparation for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September.<\/p>\n
\"We have been preparing well enough not only for the All
\nEngland but also for the Olympics. We have fixed our
\nconcentration and goal for the events. We have set a target for
\nourselves not to lose in early rounds. We must reach the best
\nposition at all the championships,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Candra and Tony defeated South Koreans Lee Dong-soo and Yoo
\nYong-sung in the final. In 1998, the Indonesians lost to the
\nSouth Koreans.<\/p>\n
\"All the world's best doubles teams are after us now. We have
\nto be consistent in our form. We must play fast, powerfully and
\naccurately, otherwise our rivals will beat us.\"<\/p>\n
Earlier, men's singles player Taufik Hidayat, runner-up in the
\n1999 All England, set a goal of reaching the final.<\/p>\n
\"I still have no idea if I can win the title because this year
\nmany shuttlers will compete in the All England to qualify for the
\nOlympics,\" said Taufik, who is ranked fifth in the world.<\/p>\n
He lost to Peter Gade Christensen last year.<\/p>\n
\"The All England is a prestigious event in badminton. I don't
\nwant to lose any points there. I want to reach the world's top
\nfour in April,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Taufik, who was suffering from a right shoulder injury, said
\nhis preparation for the All England was much better than the
\nChinese Taipei Open in January, where he lost in the
\nquarterfinals.<\/p>\n
\"I only prepared myself for one week last month. But for the
\nAll England, I have been preparing for about one month. I am in
\nbetter condition now,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) training
\ndirector, Christian Hadinata, hoped the country's men doubles
\nteams could maintain their supremacy at the All England,
\nespecially with the five best Indonesian pairs competing.<\/p>\n
\"I still have no idea who is the most prepared among them.
\nHowever, they realize that the country is counting on them to win
\na title in the event.<\/p>\n
\"I don't mean to underestimate other disciplines but each
\nathlete must realize that they are not allowed to lose to lower
\nlevel players.\" (yan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/candra-aims-to-retain-all-england-crown-1447893297",
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