Hendrawan: I deserved to win<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia should be thankful to Hendrawan for
\nwinning the world champion crown in the men's singles by
\ndefeating top favorite Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark 15-6,
\n17-16 in a tough 61-minute battle at San Pablo Stadium in
\nSeville, Spain, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
His victory ended the country's six-year title drought.
\nHariyanto Arbi was the last Indonesian to bring home the title at
\nthe 1995 championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Hendrawan -- who was born in Malang, East Java, on June 27,
\n1972 -- managed to break his runner-up jinx with his win. He took
\nthe silver medal in both the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and 2000
\nSydney Olympics.<\/p>\n
His marriage to longtime girlfriend Silvia Anggraeni on Jan.
\n7, 2001 had also aroused speculation about his sliding
\nperformance prior to Seville.<\/p>\n
Hendrawan attributed his victory to the supporting trio of
\ncoach Agus Dwi Santoso, physical trainer Paulus Pasurney and
\nmotivator Andrie Wongso.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post from Seville by phone after his
\nbig day, Hendrawan shared his joy and plans for the future.<\/p>\n
Question: Congratulations on the victory. How do you see the
\nwin after your previously sliding performance?<\/p>\n
Answer: Thank you. It's nice to win again. I have proven
\nmyself to badminton fans. Up to now, people have considered me
\nold, especially after getting married. With this win, I really
\nhope people won't think that my marriage disrupts my career.
\nBesides, Silvi has always thrown her weight behind me. I also
\nwant to prove that I'm not a runner-up specialist. I feel
\nrelieved. I was also motivated after Tony (Gunawan) and Halim
\n(Heryanto, the men's doubles champions) won their match before my
\nmatch.<\/p>\n
Do you take consolation in this win after losing to Chen Hong
\nof China in the Sudirman Cup final?<\/p>\n
That's for sure. I hope my victory can erase national fans'
\ndisappointment in our failure to bring home the Sudirman Cup. I
\napologized to the whole team after my defeat and I'm really glad
\nthat none of them blamed me.<\/p>\n
How do your coaches see your victory?<\/p>\n
Mas (big brother) Agus told me after the match that I deserved
\nto win. So did Oom (uncle) Paulus. They assured me that the
\nvictory was no coincidence, even considering Taufik Hidayat's
\nwithdrawal in the semifinals due to injury. I talked to myself
\nafter the match, still amazed, and I believe that I really
\ndeserved to win. You also observed how I had prepared myself for
\nthe big event.<\/p>\n
What exactly do you mean by your win was not a coincidence?<\/p>\n
People said I was lucky to reach the final. I attribute my
\nvictory also to Taufik. I consider it a gift from him. To be
\nfrank, Taufik is much better than me technically, and he's young
\ntoo. While I only relied on my fighting spirit and my belief that
\nI had the proper preparation for the event. There's no way that I
\ncould beat him. But I don't want to belittle my win.<\/p>\n
What is your plan after becoming the world champion?<\/p>\n
I am still aiming for the 2004 Athens Olympics. I know it will
\nbe harder than before. I have spoken to the Badminton Association
\nof Indonesia (PBSI) officials to ask them to allow me to arrange
\nmy own training program and select tournaments for one year. I
\nhave to be realistic considering my age.<\/p>\n
I also told them to start fielding younger players to replace
\nme, especially after seeing the Chinese team, dominated by young
\nplayers. I want more juniors to join the 2002 Thomas Cup. I will
\nonly join them as a reserve. I will also ask PBSI to allow Oom
\nPaulus to keep working with me on my physical fitness.<\/p>\n
You once mentioned plans to move to England as an assistant
\ncoach. Now after your win, do you still plan to do that?<\/p>\n
It's more difficult now. I said that when I was very
\ndisappointed with PBSI as everything went wrong after my failure
\nin the All England. But now, I want to enjoy my victory. I
\nbelieve that I can still be the country's best shuttler. It would
\nbe impossible to move to another country.<\/p>\n
What do you expect from your juniors?<\/p>\n
I want them to work harder to achieve more in the future.
\n(yan)<\/p>",
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