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)