Marlev expected to help friends to reach final

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian men's singles shuttler Marlev Mainaky is expected to smooth compatriots Taufik Hidayat and Hendrawan's path to Olympic gold.

Former Indonesia coach Indra Gunawan, who now works with the Chinese Taipei squad, said after a training session at the Five Dock Leisure Centre, about 15 kilometers east of the Olympics Park in Homebush Bay, Sydney, on Tuesday that Marlev could beat players that might otherwise block Taufik and Hendrawan's road to the final.

"One of Marlev's missions is to stop Dane Peter Gade Christensen in the semifinals. Gade Christensen is the most dangerous player. He could bury Indonesia's dream to win the gold. Marlev is expected to accomplish his mission," he said as quoted by Antara.

If he moves effectively on the court, Marlev has a good chance to beat most of the opponents he is likely to face.

"All players have the same desire to win gold. But Marlev is ready to fulfill his task. If he meets an Indonesian in the final, it doesn't matter anymore who wins."

Marlev has a bye in the first round. He is then scheduled to meet the towering Swede Thomas Johansson in the second round on Sept. 18. If he beats Johansson, Marlev is likely to meet South Korean Hwang Soon-ho in the quarterfinals.

The 28-year-old Indonesian is on course for meeting the winner between Gade Christensen and Fung Permadi of Chinese Taipei.

Top seed Taufik will have a tough quarterfinals clash as he is expected to meet Malaysian Ong Ewe Hock.

Second seed Hendrawan is in a hard group and is prone to meet India's rising star Pulella Gopichand in the third round. Should he win, he will face either defending champion Poul-Erik Hoyer- Larsen of Denmark or world champion Sun Jun of China.

Indra said the draw was kind to Indonesian shuttlers and was similar to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in that respect.

"The situation in the 1992 and 2000 Olympics is almost the same. Eight years ago, Hermawan Susanto had to beat good players, including China's Zhao Jianhua. His shock win helped eventual gold medalist Alan Budikusuma and silver medalist Ardy Wiranata reach the final," he said.

Separately, Danish team manager Thomas Lund said that his team would pay more attention to Hendrawan as he could be a threat to Gade Christensen.

"When all eyes are on Taufik and Peter, Hendrawan could get the advantage to steal the show as he can play more relaxed," he was quoted by Antara as saying at the Athletes' Village.

Lund called Hendrawan a dangerous shuttler as the skillful Indonesian is very experienced and is always well prepared compared to others.

He also said that Denmark had a great chance of winning another gold medal in badminton.

"All competitors have a great expectation in badminton, but we want to be realistic. It would be good if we won a gold, and fantastic if we could bring home two," he said.

Denmark is hoping Gade Christensen will follow Hoyer-Larsen's lead in winning the gold in men's singles while world number one Camilla Martin, Gade Christensen's girlfriend, hopes to bring home the women's singles gold.

Physical trainer Paulus Pesurnay said the shuttlers had no real problem with the chilly weather, which reaches 16 degrees Celsius in the day and is colder in the evening.

Head coach Christian Hadinata said the shuttlers were ready to compete technically, but he was still working on other aspects of their game.

"Every player has a different psychological makeup. I hope they can communicate their personal problems with coaches in order to keep their concentration on the match."

In Semarang, Djarum Kudus club chairman Syaiful Arisanto also judged the men's singles and doubles draw to be favorable to Indonesia's goal of winning two golds.

"They won't meet tough rivals in early rounds."

In the men's doubles, top seeds Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan are expected to meet world champions Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae- kwon of South Korea in the semifinals, while third seeds Flandy Limpele and Eng Hian are likely to challenge second seeds Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung of South Korea in the other semis.

Defending champions Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky have a tough draw as it looks likely that they will meet Kim and Ha in the quarters. (har/yan)