Marlev expected to help friends to reach final

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)