Yuliani vows better performance despite her success in Uber Cup<\/p>\n
JP\/10\/YULI<\/p>\n
Yuliani vows better performance
\ndespite her success in Uber Cup ) 4 cols 2 lines<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It took years for this bridesmaid to stand eye-
\nto-eye with her queen, but how long will it last?<\/p>\n
Yuliani Sentosa has long been overshadowed by training camp
\ncolleague and world number one Susi Susanti, but on Tuesday night
\nshe was without a doubt the toast of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Making her second appearance at the women's Uber Cup badminton
\nchampionships, the Indonesian number three made short work of
\nSouth Korea's Ra Kyun-min to secure a berth in the finals for her
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
"Never call me a heroine. I just want to build a base toward
\nreaching better performances after this Uber Cup," the 22-year-
\nold economics student at a Jakarta-based private university said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Playing as second singles, Yuliani unleashed her entire
\narsenal of strokes to dent her lanky opponent's armor. "She is
\nthe most well-prepared shuttler to play second singles," team
\nmanager Lutfi Hamid said after Yuliani's herculean showing.<\/p>\n
Yubing, as Yuliani is called by her close friends, showed no
\ntrace of jubilation yesterday. She received a meal and a can of
\nmilk from her mother who, as usual, stopped by the hotel where
\nshe and her teammates are staying during the championships. She
\nwas scheduled to have a training session later in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
"Susi is still the best-ever women's shuttler," Yuliani said
\nof her teammate and idol whom she has never beaten. "I idolize
\nsportswomen who rarely concede a loss."<\/p>\n
Although she triumphed in the 1991 Asian championships, the
\nmyopic Yuliani has been dubbed an erratic player, collecting only
\nfour international titles since entering the centralized training
\ncamp in 1990. She last fell in the final hurdle at the hands of
\nChinese-born Swede Lim Xiaoqing in Taipei early this year.<\/p>\n
Challenge<\/p>\n
Yuliani faces an uphill challenge against China in tomorrow's
\nfinal. She has come up short against China's first singles Ye
\nZhaoying in their five encounters. The Indonesian has also been
\ndefeated by third singles Liu Yuhong in both of their prior
\nmatches.<\/p>\n
"I'll have to battle it out to score a win, whoever my
\nopponent will be," she vowed.<\/p>\n
The Semarang, Central Java native was introduced to badminton
\n10 years ago. Growing up in businessman Teguh Sentosa's family,
\nYuliani said she never dreamed that someday she would don the
\nnational colors in badminton competitions. It was her elder
\nbrother who guided her toward the country's major sport.<\/p>\n
"I could see how my brother was admired by cheering crowds
\nwhenever he stepped onto the podium to receive a medal," Yuliani
\nrecalled. At 15, Yuliani got her first taste of victory in a
\nnational badminton competition in Pasuruan, East Java. A year
\nlater she was included among the national junior shuttlers.<\/p>\n
Living apart from her family seemed unavoidable when Yuliani
\naccepted a call-up from the Badminton Association of Indonesia
\n(PBSI) four years ago.<\/p>\n
"I started a new life, meeting with the same people and
\ntraining, eating and watching TV with them," she said. "I always
\ntell myself not to get bored with such a routine if I want to
\nmake a career out of badminton."<\/p>\n
Yuliani admitted she has yet to realize her dream. "I'm eying
\na place in the 1996 Olympics, whether I manage to take top honors
\nor not," she said confidently. (amd)<\/p>",
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