Hendrawan fails to win in last hurdle
By Primastuti Handayani
SYDNEY (JP): China dashed Indonesia's last hope to have the red-and-white flag hoisted to the pinnacle for a second time in the Olympic Games when Hendrawan succumbed to a determined Ji Xinpeng in their men's singles badminton final on Saturday.
The outcome confirmed China's dominance in the sport, winning four of five gold medals at stake. Indonesia won the men's doubles gold through Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan.
Ji's landslide 15-4, 15-13 victory followed Olympic titles in women's doubles earlier in the day, women's singles on Friday and mixed doubles on Thursday.
Hendrawan stood in disappointment after his return hit the net at the end of the 45-minute game. On the other side of the net Ji threw his racket to the air in jubilation before coaches Tong Sin Fu and Li Yongbo embraced him in an emotional victory celebration.
China also took the bronze after Xia Xuanze beat Danish star Peter Gade Christensen 15-13, 15-5.
In the women's doubles final, defending champions Ge Fei and Gu Jun defeated Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei 15-5, 15-5 in the all- Chinese affair. China completed a medal sweep in the category after Gao Ling and Qin Yiyuan overcame South Korea's Ra Kyung-min and Chung Jae-hee 15-10, 15-4 in the bronze medal match.
A sell-out crowd at the 3,000-capacity Pavilion 3 at the Olympic Park in Homebush Bay saw top seed Hendrawan fall under immense pressure beginning with the first serve. With seventh seed Ji executing searing smashes and neat touches at the net, Hendrawan was pressured into disappointing mistakes.
It took Ji, who upset Indonesian top seed Taufik Hidayat in the quarterfinals, only 17 minutes to close out the first game.
Hendrawan fought back bravely after being seriously outplayed in the first game and went 9-4 ahead in the second. A flurry of errors saw a shift in momentum and Ji bounced back to take the lead at 10-9 with deft combinations of offensive lobs and jumping smashes.
The Indonesian regained his composure briefly to lead 13-10, only two points from forcing a rubber set. But clinical finishes to exhausting rallies from the Chinese youngster put the issue beyond doubt. Holding his serve, Ji won five straight points to claim the coveted gold medal.
"I couldn't play offensively because Ji played extraordinarily well with his drives and offensive lobs. He really troubled me. I wished to play the way I won the semifinal yesterday but I couldn't," said the 28-year-old Indonesian, who will marry fiancee Sylvia Anggraeni soon after the Olympics.
"I know I'm already 28. I'm not young anymore but I still hope to qualify for the next Olympics. I want to keep myself fit in the next four years. I congratulated Ji for winning the gold medal," added Hendrawan, who afterwards burst into tears to the astonishment of journalists attending the media conference.
"But I'm not disappointed with the silver medal. I have done my best and this is it."
Hendrawan, who helped Indonesia retain the Thomas Cup in 1998 and 2000, dismissed speculation that it would have been easier for him to play Gade Christensen in the final.
"It would not have been a different story. It would not have been easier for me to face Peter as he is a very tough player."
Head coach Christian Hadinata said that Hendrawan reached his peak form in the semifinals.
"He played outstandingly against Xia yesterday but today he made too many unforced errors," Christian said.
Meanwhile, Ji said that he was confident to follow his coach's instructions.
Tong, who used to coach the Indonesia national team until 1997, said he had studied Hendrawan's matches and had found ways to overcome him.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) chairman, Subagyo Hadisiswoyo, said he was disappointed as his squad failed to fulfill the target of winning two golds.
"We could not reach the maximum achievement. This is the best result Hendrawan could give to us. We were not lucky enough to win two golds. However, we are thankful to God for giving us one gold."