Fung finds new life playing in Taiwan

Fung finds new life playing in Taiwan

COPENHAGEN (JP): Badminton lovers were sure that world number
one Peter Gade Christensen would emerge victorious at the World
Championships at Brondby Hall before his home crowd.

But underdog Fung Permadi, an Indonesian playing for Chinese
Taipei, dashed such predictions. He defeated Gade Christensen 15-
11, 1-15, 15-14 in a dramatic match.

Fung, who was born in Purwokerto, Central Java, on Dec. 12,
1967, left Indonesia's National Badminton Center in 1994 after
realizing that he would always be playing in the shadow of the
country's top five players -- Alan Budikusuma, Ardy Wiranata,
Joko Supriyanto, Hariyanto Arbi and Hermawan Susanto.

"Sometimes we need a tragedy to make us see what we have to
do. It happened to me when I decided to leave the center. It
increased my motivation to prove to everybody that I still
existed and am good," he said.

The 31-year-old shuttler said he had matured in the past two
years.

"When I was under pressure, I used to become very tense and
rushed in the match. But now that I'm older, I have nothing to
lose. I just want to keep the birdie in play. It's as simple as
that," he said.

"I always listen to critics but pay less attention to
compliments. When we feel we're on top, we're under more pressure
because we know everybody wants to topple us," he said.

Fung has never before reached the semifinals in the World
Championships. However, he won the Swiss Open, Taipei Open and
Korean Open this year.

Fung, who played for the Djarum badminton club before moving
to Taipei, said he wanted to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games
in Sydney.

"I don't want to be on top because then I will be an easy
target for other shuttlers. It's a part of my strategy for the
Olympics. But when I have the chance to win a tournament, I will
take it," he said.

"I never really wanted to be the champion. I always limited my
ambition but prepared myself physically and technically to do my
best," he said.

Fung -- who speaks Javanese, Indonesian, English, Chinese and
Korean -- plays for the Cooperative Bank Club. He signed a three-
year contract with the club in 1995.

After the contract ended, he received a green card to stay in
Taipei and said he was now an employee at the bank.

"My job is to play. If I have to work in the bank, then I will
only be an office boy because I only graduated from high school,"
he said.

Fung married Cicilia Halim in 1997 and the couple have a son,
Jason, who was born last year.

Fung also said he had a national coaching certificate.

"I took it with Agus Dwi Santoso (Hendrawan's coach)," he
said.

However, he said it would be difficult to become a coach.

"As a player we enjoy our victories and losses by ourselves.
As a coach, an athlete's success belongs to him, but when he
loses you are condemned." (yan)