Candra named IBF Player of the Year
Candra named IBF Player of the Year
JAKARTA (JP): Just one day after his wedding day, Indonesia's
Candra Wijaya was granted another big surprise when the
International Badminton Federation (IBF) announced on Sunday that
he had been honored with the "Eddy Choong Player of the Year"
award for 2000.
Men's doubles specialist Candra, who had just got married to
long-time girlfriend Caroline Indriani on Saturday, defeated the
other nominees; England's Olympic bronze medalist Joanne Goode
and India's rising star Pulella Gopichand. In an unofficial poll
on the IBF's World Badminton website, Gopichand was voted the
internet fans' men's singles Player of the Year.
Candra, who was born on Sept. 16, 1975, has collected numerous
titles during the year 2000 including the Grand Prix Series
circuits in Taiwan, Japan and the Indonesia Open tournaments.
He also joined Indonesia's Thomas Cup winning team in Kuala
Lumpur in May. Indonesia managed to retain the Cup for the 12th
time as well as it being only the second time it has been won for
the fourth-consecutive-time.
But his peak performance was when he and partner Tony Gunawan
managed to win Indonesia's sole Olympics gold medal in Sydney in
September by defeating South Koreans Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-
sung.
"I'm really surprised to know that the IBF has picked me as
the recipient. It's a great wedding gift. My wife and my family
are really proud... It's a great gift from God and I'm really
very thankful to everybody who has helped me," Candra told The
Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.
"I share this honor with my partner Tony and also my coach
Herry Imam Pierngadi and also my friends from the men's doubles
and other teammates at the Indonesia Badminton Center."
IBF President Lu Shengrong sent her personal congratulations,
and those of the IBF Council to Candra, saying: "Badminton could
not wish for a better ambassador for our sport."
Candra is just the third recipient -- after Peter Gade
Christensen of Denmark in 1998 and Camilla Martin of Denmark in
1999 -- of this prestigious award, named after the Malaysian
legend Eddy Choong who placed Malaysian badminton into the
European limelight. Choong dominated the European circuit in the
early 1950's and was part of Malaysia's 1955 Thomas Cup winning
squad. (yan)