I need to be alone to reflect on myself: Boy wonder Taufik
I need to be alone to reflect on myself: Boy wonder Taufik
JAKARTA (JP): The Olympic Games were closed nearly two weeks
ago but Indonesian boy wonder Taufik Hidayat was still unable to
forget the moment he had to swallow a bitter pill in his first
Olympics debut.
Top seed and world number one Taufik, 19, had to bow out to
eventual gold medalist Ji Xinpeng of China in the men's singles
badminton quarterfinals on Sept. 20.
"Sometimes I still grab the picture and I ask myself how I
could lose at that moment? How could I even fail to reach the
semifinals with my position as the top seed?" Taufik said after a
training session at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung,
East Jakarta, on Friday.
"I want to wipe the memory away but it's difficult because
when I meet people, they keep asking why I lost in the Olympics?
It means I have to keep remembering that."
"I need time to be alone, to reflect on myself. I felt that
the press was unfair to me because they mixed up my personal
affairs with my defeat."
Taufik complained in some local newspaper reports that his
defeat was due to his relationship with a member of the trio AB
Three vocal group, Nola. He also said that some reporters were
after Nola to interview her about his defeat.
"If only I was in Hendrawan's shoes and he was in mine, would
the press also put him on the edge. Why is it me they're after?"
Hendrawan, has currently taken over the world number one spot
from his junior, but also bowed out to Ji in the Olympics final.
The local press have been complaining about Taufik's arrogant
behavior and that he often declines to be interviewed.
But the current world number two said he knows that he has to
change either in a technical, physical or mental sense.
"I realized that I have to improve my technical, physical and
mental condition for the future. I have to change a lot. I have
spoken to the closest people to me and they have encouraged me to
move on."
Despite his willingness to improve his physical and mental
condition, Taufik declined to include experts in the training
program.
"I feel that the training programs, technical or physical
programs, with my coach (Mulyo Handoyo) fit me. I don't think I
need a psychologist to help me through this condition (after the
defeat)."
Taufik will skip three European Grand Prix series including
the German Open (Oct. 11 to Oct. 15), Dutch Open (Oct. 18 to Oct.
22) and the Danish Open (Oct. 25 to Oct. 29).
Instead, he will compete at the JVC Asian Badminton
Championships (ABC) at the Senayan Tennis Indoor from Nov. 1 to
Nov. 5. While Hendrawan opts to compete at the six-star Danish
Open and will miss the ABC.
In the men's doubles, Indonesian gold medalists Candra Wijaya
and Tony Gunawan will have different partners for the ABC.
Tony will partner up with Rexy Mainaky, who will make his
farewell appearance at the ABC, while Candra will partner up with
Antonius Budi Ariantho. (yan)