A dream comes true for Candra, Tony after winning Sydney golds
A dream comes true for Candra, Tony after winning Sydney golds
SYDNEY (JP): When the dream comes true, sometimes it is
difficult to believe.
For world men's doubles number one pair Tony Gunawan and
Candra Wijaya, winning the elusive Olympic gold medal was their
most coveted title until they snatched it on Thursday.
"I can't believe it. This is our dream which comes true," an
elated Candra said.
Candra and Tony defeated second seeds Lee Dong-soo and Yoo
Yong-sung of South Korea 15-10, 9-15, 15-7 in 77 minutes.
When they made their victory lap draped in the red-and-white
flag, it was not only the Indonesian spectators but also the rest
of the crowd, including Australians, who gave a standing ovation.
Their victory did not only bring joy to those present but also
to 220 million Indonesians back home who had been hoping that
Indonesia's domination in the men's doubles would be continued.
They emulated their seniors Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky who
won the gold in Atlanta four years ago.
Given their hard preparation, both Candra and Tony deserved
the victory. When all shuttlers finished their training sessions
at 10 a.m., both shuttlers continued to practice for another one
or two hours.
"If we can't win the gold it means we failed at the Olympics.
Silver doesn't count," Tony said prior to his departure to
Sydney.
Candra and Tony officially started their partnership in
September 1998 after Candra's partner Sigit Budiarto was banned
for a year due to his use of the anabolic steroid nandrolone.
The new partnership started off well, with the 1999 All
England victory topping their list of titles.
Candra, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sept. 16 here, is
known as a very serious person. His hobby of reading and studying
politics is in contrast to Tony, who was born in Surabaya on
April 9, 1975 and really loves Play Station.
Candra's seriousness has been a source of concern to many
people, including journalists, that he might not be able to cope
with the pressure from the National Sports Council (KONI) and the
Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) to win the gold.
Candra could not forgive himself when he and Sigit almost blew
Indonesia's chance of winning the Thomas Cup for the 12th time in
Kuala Lumpur in May, as they lost to Danish pair Jens Erikssen
and Jesper Larsen in the semifinals.
Head coach Christian Hadinata intervened to help Candra
recover. "Candra is a very serious person. I had to speak to him
personally. But I'm sure that when he wants something, he will
work really hard to reach it," Christian said.
While Tony, who used to serve as Sigit's bridesmaid, proved
that he was the right choice to accompany Candra as one half of
the world's best pair.
Coach Herry Imam Pierngadi has never had problems in handling
the two.
"They know their commitment to the sport. They always feel
that the training is never enough and it's good for them," Herry
said. (yan)
SYDNEY (JP): When the dream comes true, sometimes it is
difficult to believe.
For world men's doubles number one pair Tony Gunawan and
Candra Wijaya, winning the elusive Olympic gold medal was their
most coveted title until they snatched it on Thursday.
"I can't believe it. This is our dream which comes true," an
elated Candra said.
Candra and Tony defeated second seeds Lee Dong-soo and Yoo
Yong-sung of South Korea 15-10, 9-15, 15-7 in 77 minutes.
When they made their victory lap draped in the red-and-white
flag, it was not only the Indonesian spectators but also the rest
of the crowd, including Australians, who gave a standing ovation.
Their victory did not only bring joy to those present but also
to 220 million Indonesians back home who had been hoping that
Indonesia's domination in the men's doubles would be continued.
They emulated their seniors Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky who
won the gold in Atlanta four years ago.
Given their hard preparation, both Candra and Tony deserved
the victory. When all shuttlers finished their training sessions
at 10 a.m., both shuttlers continued to practice for another one
or two hours.
"If we can't win the gold it means we failed at the Olympics.
Silver doesn't count," Tony said prior to his departure to
Sydney.
Candra and Tony officially started their partnership in
September 1998 after Candra's partner Sigit Budiarto was banned
for a year due to his use of the anabolic steroid nandrolone.
The new partnership started off well, with the 1999 All
England victory topping their list of titles.
Candra, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sept. 16 here, is
known as a very serious person. His hobby of reading and studying
politics is in contrast to Tony, who was born in Surabaya on
April 9, 1975 and really loves Play Station.
Candra's seriousness has been a source of concern to many
people, including journalists, that he might not be able to cope
with the pressure from the National Sports Council (KONI) and the
Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) to win the gold.
Candra could not forgive himself when he and Sigit almost blew
Indonesia's chance of winning the Thomas Cup for the 12th time in
Kuala Lumpur in May, as they lost to Danish pair Jens Erikssen
and Jesper Larsen in the semifinals.
Head coach Christian Hadinata intervened to help Candra
recover. "Candra is a very serious person. I had to speak to him
personally. But I'm sure that when he wants something, he will
work really hard to reach it," Christian said.
While Tony, who used to serve as Sigit's bridesmaid, proved
that he was the right choice to accompany Candra as one half of
the world's best pair.
Coach Herry Imam Pierngadi has never had problems in handling
the two.
"They know their commitment to the sport. They always feel
that the training is never enough and it's good for them," Herry
said. (yan)