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)