Mia ready for Singapore, Indonesia opens<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After a two-month break in which she gained a
\nconsiderable amount of weight, Indonesian women's singles player
\nMia Audina says she is ready to compete in the Singapore and
\nIndonesia opens next month.<\/p>\n
Mia, who recently returned with her husband Tylio Lobman from
\na vacation in the Netherlands, told reporters on Wednesday that
\nshe was ready to fight for the Grand Prix series titles.<\/p>\n
\"I have to play in those two tournaments as a way to qualify
\nfor the Olympics. I hope I can regain my number one position at
\nthe end of the qualifying round on April 30, 2000. But I think I
\ncan only manage to stay in the top five.\"<\/p>\n
The 1996 Olympic silver medalist has long been tipped to take
\nover the number one spot from Susi Susanti, now in semiretirement
\nafter giving birth. However, Mia's marriage to Surinamese Lobman
\non March 30 and her sometimes rancorous relationship with the
\nBadminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) have caused
\ncontroversy.<\/p>\n
She married Lobman, an evangelist and gospel singer, shortly
\nafter a disappointing run at the All England Championships. She
\nthen skipped the Sudirman Cup and World Championships in
\nCopenhagen in May because she was still in mourning after her
\nmother's death in April.<\/p>\n
Mia said she continued to train during her stay in the
\nNetherlands, but admitted she gained weight.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know how much I weigh now because I don't dare to
\nknow. But I will reduce it soon during practice,\" she said with a
\nlaugh.<\/p>\n
She acknowledged her bid to climb from a ranking of 18 back
\ninto the top five would be difficult because of the crop of
\ntalented young Chinese players, including world number one Dai
\nYun, number three Gong Ruina and number four Zhang Ning. Another
\nrival is world champion Camilla Martin of Denmark.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old shuttler also will need to displace
\ncompatriots Cindana Hartono, ranked seventh, and Lydia
\nDjaelawidjaja, ranked 11th.<\/p>\n
In Mia's absence, Cindana and Lydia showed they could replace
\nher in the Sudirman Cup and World Championships although they
\nlost in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
The PBSI official in charge of athletes development, Mangombar
\nFerdinand Siregar, said he would consult with Mia's coach, Liang
\nChiusia, on her physical fitness before sending her to the
\nSingapore Open from Aug. 25 to Aug. 29 and the Indonesia Open in
\nDenpasar from Sept. 1 to Sept. 5.<\/p>\n
\"Normally, a shuttler needs about two months to reach his or
\nher standard condition. But we'll see how she manages to work out
\nto achieve her best fitness.\"<\/p>\n
Earlier, National Sports Council (KONI) chairman Wismoyo
\nArismunandar visited the center to give moral support to
\nshuttlers, especially members of the SEA Games contingent.<\/p>\n
Wismoyo said he did not mind that PBSI only targeted five
\ngolds from the event as long as it sent its best players.<\/p>\n
He also said that KONI needed to become more involved in
\nbadminton development because it was a top priority sport which
\nsecured Olympic gold medals for the country.<\/p>\n
\"KONI will help PBSI in developing its athletes and coaches by
\nusing sports science. We will send our experts in psychology,
\nnutrition, coaching education and other disciplines to support
\nPBSI training programs, especially for the 2000 Olympics,\" he
\nsaid.(yan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mia-ready-for-singapore-indonesia-opens-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}