Candra aims to retain All England crown
Candra aims to retain All England crown
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian men's doubles specialist Candra Wijaya is optimistic of retaining his title with partner Tony Wijaya in the All England championships in Birmingham, England, next month.
"I really want to be the champion again this time. It's good to be the champion. I always aim to reach the best I can, and hopefully I can retain what I earned last year," Candra said after a training session at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, on Monday.
World number one Candra said the All England was part of his preparation for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September.
"We have been preparing well enough not only for the All England but also for the Olympics. We have fixed our concentration and goal for the events. We have set a target for ourselves not to lose in early rounds. We must reach the best position at all the championships," he said.
Candra and Tony defeated South Koreans Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung in the final. In 1998, the Indonesians lost to the South Koreans.
"All the world's best doubles teams are after us now. We have to be consistent in our form. We must play fast, powerfully and accurately, otherwise our rivals will beat us."
Earlier, men's singles player Taufik Hidayat, runner-up in the 1999 All England, set a goal of reaching the final.
"I still have no idea if I can win the title because this year many shuttlers will compete in the All England to qualify for the Olympics," said Taufik, who is ranked fifth in the world.
He lost to Peter Gade Christensen last year.
"The All England is a prestigious event in badminton. I don't want to lose any points there. I want to reach the world's top four in April," he said.
Taufik, who was suffering from a right shoulder injury, said his preparation for the All England was much better than the Chinese Taipei Open in January, where he lost in the quarterfinals.
"I only prepared myself for one week last month. But for the All England, I have been preparing for about one month. I am in better condition now," he said.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) training director, Christian Hadinata, hoped the country's men doubles teams could maintain their supremacy at the All England, especially with the five best Indonesian pairs competing.
"I still have no idea who is the most prepared among them. However, they realize that the country is counting on them to win a title in the event.
"I don't mean to underestimate other disciplines but each athlete must realize that they are not allowed to lose to lower level players." (yan)