Hariyanto gears up for GP crown

Hariyanto gears up for GP crown

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Indonesia's top-ranked world champion Hariyanto Arbi is confident of winning this week's International Badminton Federation (IBF) World Grand Prix finals.

"I came here to win the finals," Hariyanto told Reuters after arriving in Singapore yesterday.

"I am in good form," Hariyanto said. He added he had been training hard for the finals as well as for the 18th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, scheduled for Dec. 9 to Dec. 17.

The world number one said he expected stiff competition from the other finalists but would not say which player he thought would give him the hardest fight.

"The players are equally strong," said Hariyanto, who is in Group A with South Korea's Lee Kwan-jin, Malaysia's Rashid Sidek and Sweden's Jens Olsson.

The World Grand Prix finals, to be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from Wednesday to Sunday, offer prize money of US$325,000, the highest in the event's history, IBF said.

For audience in Indonesia, the finals will be aired live by STAR TV's Prime Sports every day at 6 p.m. West Indonesian Time.

Another Indonesian, Alan Budikusuma, said he has been training well for the finals and the SEA Games. "I will try hard to win the title," the reigning Olympic champion said.

Alan will take on his fellow Indonesian Ardy Bernadus Wiranata. Both are in Group B with Indonesian Fung Permadi who now plays for Chinese Taipei and Denmark's Peter Rasmussen.

The other two groups are headed by Indonesia's Joko Suprianto and Denmark's Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen.

In the women's action, Indonesia's Susi Susanti, who was ranked third, will not defend her ladies singles crown due to injury, an official with the Badminton Association of Indonesia said.

"She is still nursing a leg muscle injury sustained during the China Open two weeks ago," the official said from Jakarta. "She is doing light training and we hope she would be fit enough to compete in the SEA Games."

Following the injury and her defeat to South Korea's Bang Soo- hyun in the semifinals of the China Open, Susanti did not take part in the recent Thailand Open in Chiang Mai.

Her spot has been filled by a Chinese newcomer, Zhang Nin, who is ranked 15th, an IBF statement said. Soo-Hyun, who was ranked second, was also missing from the final grouping.