RI ascends to badminton supremacy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, spurred by a raucous partisan crowd
\nof 12,000 that had Senayan indoor stadium bursting at the seams,
\nnotched a memorable double by lifting both the Thomas and Uber
\nCups, badminton's most prestigious team competitions, over the
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
The Thomas Cup, which had eluded Indonesia's grasp for the
\npast 10 years, returned to the country for a record ninth time as
\na supremely confident Indonesian side, which benched world
\nchampion Joko Suprianto for strategic reasons, overwhelmed title
\nholder Malaysia 3-0 on Saturday night in the most one-sided final
\nsince 1990.<\/p>\n
The night before, Susi Susanti and company did the nation
\nproud by denying China a seventh consecutive title with a nail-
\nbitting 3-2 victory, giving Indonesia its first Uber Cup title in
\n19 years<\/p>\n
Saturday's triumph was all the more sweet for the Indonesians
\nas they beat the team that vanquished them in the biennial series
\n3-2 two years ago in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
The teams have met in six finals since 1958, with Indonesia
\nnow holding a 4-2 edge.<\/p>\n
Indonesia sprung a surprise by fielding Hariyanto Arbi at
\nfirst singles instead of world number one Joko in an attempt to
\nunsettle Malaysian ace Rashid Sidek. Hariyanto sported an
\nimpressive 7-1 career mark against Rashid.<\/p>\n
And the gamble paid off handsomely. Hariyanto, the only loser
\nin Indonesia's 4-1 semifinal victory over South Korea when he
\ninexplicably fell to no-name Park Sung-woo, was in an
\nuncompromising mood on Saturday, easily downing Rashid 15-6, 15-
\n11.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian's searing leaping-smashes landed time and time
\nagain, reducing the Malaysian to retrieving most of the shots.<\/p>\n
At first doubles, Indonesia's world number one pair of Rudy
\nGunawan and Bambang Suprianto were extended to three sets before
\ndowning Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang 15-10, 6-15, 15-8.<\/p>\n
Smelling blood, in the spirit of the Idul Adha holiday, Ardy
\nWiranata then employed his attacking lobs to take out an
\nobviously-distracted Ong Ewe Hock. With victory in sight, the
\ncrowd was at its most unruly, baiting and jeering the Malaysian
\nthroughout.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia chose the right lineup by sitting Joko,\" Rudy
\nHartono, Indonesia's eight-time All-England champion, said.<\/p>\n
He said Joko was not playing well enough to tame the talented
\nRashid. \"It's better not to risk fielding a certain player if we
\nare not sure he will win,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Executive Chairman Sumaryono indicated that the Badminton
\nAssociation of Indonesia (PBSI) would provide cash bonuses to
\neach player and coach. He refused to mention the amount of the
\nbonus, but said: \"Each player and coach will receive the same
\namount.\"<\/p>\n
Fanatics<\/p>\n
The honorary referee of the International Badminton Federation
\n(IBF), Roger Johansson, decided to halt Saturday's final after
\nArdy's win gave Indonesia an insurmountable 3-0 lead.<\/p>\n
\"The winner was already decided and it would be better to
\npresent the Cup when the crowd expected it. I was afraid the
\nsituation could have gotten worse with the bottle-throwing or if
\nthere was a fire,\" the Swedish referee said, adding that he did
\nnot hear any complaints from the Malaysian team.<\/p>\n
A number of unruly Indonesian fans hurled plastic bottles and
\nsticks at Malaysian players and officials in a display of
\nrowdiness that tainted their heroes victory.<\/p>\n
Johansson said he made his decision after a brief discussion
\nwith meet organizers. \"We found that the remaining two matches
\nwould not be interesting,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He refused to blame the crowd for causing the shortened final.
\n\"I'm very pleased with the organizers who managed to control the
\ncrowd. Indonesian supporters are sometimes too enthusiastic,\"
\nJohansson, who found himself dodging plastic bottles and sticks
\nfrom time to time, said.<\/p>\n
The organizers estimated the number of spectators at 12,000 on
\nSaturday, well over the air-conditioned venue's 9,500 capacity.<\/p>\n
The furious crowd also caused the Malaysian side to remain in
\ntheir heavily-guarded locker room instead of participating in the
\nmedal presentation ceremony. No less than 600 standby security
\nofficers were stationed around the arena.<\/p>\n
Malaysian team manager Punch Gunalan conceded that Indonesia's
\nshuttlers were better, but complained about the overreacting home
\nsupporters. Amid a barrage of reporters, Gunalan said in a high-
\npitched voice: \"I don't know what the crowd wants from us. Even
\nwithout their vicious support, Indonesia would have beaten us.\"<\/p>\n
PBSI Chairman Sumaryono apologized to Gunalan and his squad
\nfor the crowd's disruptive behavior. (amd\/bas)<\/p>",
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