Dewi joins elite squad, thanks to her dad
SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Dewi Tira was just a third grade student at an elementary school in Surabaya when her father Suwandi introduced badminton to her.
She did not like it at first but somehow she could not escape her father's instruction to keep practicing. Eight years later, she thanked him for introducing the sport as she has just managed to join the country's elite squad at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta.
"I still remember how I really hated badminton at the time my father began to introduce me to the sport. But one or two years later I started to like it," she told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Milo Junior Indonesia Open on Thursday.
"I can't remember exactly what happened but I just got more and more fond of it. My whole family has given me their support for my total involvement in badminton."
Born in Surabaya on Jan. 18 1984 as the second of three siblings, Dewi started to play badminton at the age of nine.
Being admitted to the center in February, Dewi and another junior Dian Novita of Djarum Kudus directly joined seniors Lidya Djaelawijaya, Yuli Marfuah, Atu Rosalina and Cindana Hartono as the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has been desperate to find new talent to replace former badminton queen Susy Susanti and sidekick Mia Audina, who moved to the Netherlands two years ago.
"My technique has been improving since being admitted to the center. Previously, I only focused on physical training at the Semen Gresik training camp before joining Surya Naga Gudang Garam," Dewi said.
"But I must work very hard at the center to be able to catch up with my seniors."
Dewi achieved her best performance so far when she grabbed the girl's singles title at the 1999 Surabaya Cup in the under-16 division. She also reached the semifinals of the 2001 Jakarta Open losing to a Malaysian shuttler.
She got as far as the semifinals of the 2001 Junior National Championships in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, when she was defeated by Dian Novita who went on to grab the title.
Dewi said she really admired world number one Gong Zhichao of China and is aiming to reach a similar level with her idol.
"Gong is not tall but she is very agile and aggressive on court. Her physical stature does not deter her from reaching the top. She's very patient on court, which leads her opponents to make unforced errors."
"I must work really hard to reach the same level as Gong."
"It will be up to me to get better achievements. I also expect PBSI to send us, junior shuttlers to more international events to add to our experience." (nvn)