Alan Budikusuma and Susi Susanti, 'Amigos Para Siempre'

By Deborah P. Hutauruk and Primastuti Handayani

JAKARTA (JP): "First love never dies" may sound like a cliche, but for Indonesia's badminton queen Lucia Francisca Susi Susanti, the phrase has rung true for more than 10 years.

It was her first love, Alexander Alan Budikusuma, who brought her to the altar of St. Jacobus church here on Feb. 9 for what has been dubbed the "Wedding of the Year" by many members of the press.

The Grand Athena Wedding reception held on Feb. 23 by Indonesia's badminton king and queen and 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalists drew more than 2,000 guests.

Held at the Gran Melia Hotel's Mataram ballroom in South Jakarta, security was tight and guests had to pass through security checks.

Vice President Try Sutrisno, State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, National Sports Council Chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar and Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tandjung attended the event, as did real estate developers Ciputra and James T. Riady.

When the Barcelona Olympics theme song Amigos Para Siempre (Friends Forever) came on, dancers dressed in cream colored togas entered the room, followed by dancers carrying rings in five colors representing five continents in the Olympics -- Asia (yellow), the Americas (red), Africa (black), Australia (green) and Europe (blue). In the middle, dressed in red and white, danced Indonesian gymnast Zainal Abidin.

When the wedding march sounded, the smiling couple appeared to a barrage of photographers and flashing cameras.

Female guests commented on Susi's beautiful gown as local and foreign TV camera crews, including CNN, Malaysia's TV3 and StarTV Hong Kong, documented the gala event.

Arriving on the palace-like stage adorned with flowers, the bride and groom kissed the Indonesian flag.

"Kissing the flag symbolizes our love and respect for the country. We just want to express our love for Indonesia," Susi said after the wedding. "We want to show that we love the country not only on the court but also off."

Susi is the only daughter of Risad Haditono and Purwa Benowati. She was born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Feb. 11, 1971, with the name Ong Lien Hiang, which means the fragrance forest king. On that special night she wore a cream silk gown with a tail measuring 6.8 meters long.

Alan, born in Surabaya on March 29, 1968, was handsome in his black suit.

Ciputra, owner of the Jaya Raya badminton club where Alan and Susi have been members for years, read a passage from Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran's The Prophet.

The party heated up when singer Sandro Tobing sang Alusi Au (Answer Me), a traditional song from North Sumatra.

Among the guests were top shuttlers like Mia Audina, Ricky Subagja, Joko Supriyanto and Ardy B. Wiranata, coaches Indra Gunawan, Christian Hadinata and former world champion Rudy Hartono. They came to the stage and posed with the couple for a photo session.

Later in the evening, guests queued to congratulate the couple after they had cut their 2.5-meter high cake resembling the Coliseum.

Kim Thong, the party's organizer and Susi's wedding gown designer, said the wedding plans had been made two years ago.

Kim Thong and Ciputra, who were among the wedding party's sponsors, said the event was one of the most important weddings of the year because the couple was a national asset. How much was spent is not known, though Ciputra said they tried to keep the costs down.

Exhausting

"Oh.. I'm so exhausted. I never thought that hosting a wedding party would be this tiring. I would prefer to play five sets to this. It's like playing 10 sets," said Susi Susanti during a 10- minute press conference after the reception.

Susi and Alan, who plan to have three children, said they were very surprised with the number of guests packed into the room.

"We never thought so many people would come to give their blessings. We're really thankful to our guests who took the time to come here," said Alan.

The couple only had two days vacation after the wedding as they had to prepare for the All England championships in Birmingham from March 11 to March 15.

They plan to retire from competition within one or two years.

"I have told Mia to replace me in the near future. I believe she's ready for the task," said Susi.

Susi, who is aiming for the 1998 Asian Games gold medal, won Indonesia's first Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992. She won the All England badminton championships in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994 and won the World Grand Prix Finals six times. She also supported the Indonesian women's team five times at the Uber Cup badminton championships.

Alan gave Indonesia its second gold at the same Olympics. He won several Grand Prix Series, the 1993 world championships and has been on the Indonesian men's team several times at the Thomas Cup.

Love story

Born as Goei Ren Fang, Alan met Susi for the first time in 1986 at her dormitory on Jl. Manila, South Jakarta, when they both joined the national training program.

"He often borrowed my books. I wondered why he always borrowed from me. He also loved to accompany me when I ate in the canteen. At first, I thought he liked my friend," Susi said, as quoted by Kompas.

"I had thought about matching him with Mei Mei (Minarti Timur, the mixed doubles shuttler). In fact I had a crush on one of his friends," she added.

Staying in a dormitory was hard for Susi, who is very close to her father and had never lived away from home. But she lost her homesickness when she met Alan, the eldest son of Aria Wiranata and Veronica.

Susi and Alan declared their love for each other on May 1, 1987. The love story continued after Susi left the dormitory on Jl. Manila and moved to another one in Cipayung, East Jakarta, where the new training center for the Badminton Association of Indonesia is located.

"Alan has so much in common with papi (dad)," said Susi. "That's why I picked him as my spouse."

Alan said that he likes Susi because of her personality.

"She's always frank and fair. We can solve any problem clear and fast," Alan said. "But she's emotional."

They used to spend Saturday nights chatting or watching movies in the dormitory. They sometimes went out for dinner at warteg (inexpensive restaurants) or fancy restaurants.

"I love Thai food and chicken noodles," Susi said.

Their love story, however, was not always smooth. In the first years, their parents disagreed about the relationship, which they felt would affect their careers.

"That's why we had a 'back street' relationship," Susi said. "We understood that they wanted the best for us but we wanted to prove that we could share our careers and privacy."