Mental focus key in Olympics: Indonesian shuttlers
SYDNEY (JP): In such a high level competition like the Olympics where everyone has technical skills, mental resilience and ability to focus differentiates between winners and losers, Indonesian medalists Tony Gunawan and Hendrawan said.
Revealing his key to success, Tony, who grabbed the men's badminton doubles title with Candra Wijaya, said on Tuesday he consulted psychologist Andrie Wongso to boost his morale prior to the final match.
"When playing in a major event, motivation is important to help me ease the enormous pressure. It worked and I won," said Tony while shopping with girlfriend and badminton stablemate Etty Tantri.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia hired Andrie to motivate the Thomas Cup team in May. They won the trophy for a record 12th time.
"In the Olympics, technical skills are not the most important factor. The most crucial factors are our physical fitness and mental strength, especially during critical moments.
"We must have a strong determination to win, something which I believe has helped us on the court," Tony said.
The world number one pair of Tony and Candra defeated South Korea's Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung in the final. In the semifinal the day before, they beat another Korean duo, Kim Dong- moon and Ha Tae-kwon.
Tony said prior to the semifinal match, he recalled the moments when he and Candra beat the Koreans in the past.
"I remembered how we beat them at the 1999 Grand Prix Final in Brunei Darussalam and the during the 1998 All England. I didn't want to recall the time we lost to them because it would make us feel down," said Tony.
Men's singles player Hendrawan and diving team coach Harly Ramayani agreed with Tony.
But Hendrawan said psychological consultation could only help athletes if the they were open to the experts.
"Sometimes, athletes prefer not to talk to the psychologists for unclear reasons. On the other hand, some psychologists lack initiative and are not close to the athletes,"Hendrawan said.
Hendrawan, seeded second in the Olympics, lost to seventh seed Ji Xinpeng of China in the final.
The National Sports Council (KONI) has assigned psychologists Rosa Hertamina and Juanita Nasution to handle athletes' psychological needs, especially when they are facing world-class athletes.
"Ideally after every championship, athletes must be given their psychological profile on their defeat. It will serve as a valuable lesson for the athletes when preparing for future tournaments," Hendrawan said.
Separately, Harly emphasized the importance of self-confidence and determination when taking on top rated opponents.
She said her prodigy, women's diver Shenny Ratna Amelia, failed to reach her best form as she could not cope with the tension. Shenny finished last in the 10m platform.
Harly expressed hope that Shenny would receive special training on how to improve her mental resilience. (yan)