Mia gears up for comeback in All England
Mia gears up for comeback in All England
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's rising badminton star Mia Audina shrugged off injury doubt yesterday as she was gearing up for a comeback at the All England badminton championships in Birmingham next week.
Mia, making her first appearance after a four-month break, will join Indonesia's top 16 men and 10 women shuttlers at the world's oldest badminton tournament, scheduled from March 13 to March 17.
"I feel no more pain in my thigh while practicing. I'm fit now," she told reporters after the setting-off ceremony of the Thomas and Uber Cup trophies at Cipayung, East Jakarta, yesterday.
Mia said that Dr. Chaehab, an orthopedist at the Badminton Association of Indonesia, confirmed last week that she would be allowed to play. Yesterday was Mia's last medical treatment using physiotherapy.
"I think I have already regained my usual form, following a series of sparring with my team mates in the past month," the world number five said.
After the All England, Mia will set her sights on retaining the Uber Cup Indonesia won here in 1992 and making an Olympic debut in Atlanta.
Mia strained a muscle in her right thigh in a quarterfinal match at the Grand Prix Finals in Singapore last December. She missed all the following tournaments. She was also scheduled to play in the Swedish Open, which is underway now.
Earlier, noted sport observer Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar said that Mia should not force herself to play in both the All England and Uber Cup if she was not sure about her fitness.
"The more important thing is that Mia will defend the nation at the Olympics, which are more important than the All England," Siregar said.
Siregar said that Mia looked sluggish when he watched Mia practicing recently.
Mia is joint 5/8 seed player at this year's All England, which also serves as the final qualifying event for the Atlanta Olympic Games.
Mia cruised to her first All England semifinal last year, only to lose to Camilla Martin of Denmark.
Organizers of the championships this year put world champion Ye Zhaoying at the top of the women's singles seeding list, while Mia's team mate and three-times winner Susi Susanti second. In the men's singles, Indonesia's former world champion Joko Suprianto tops the seed, followed by Swiss Open champion Poul- Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark.
Indonesian shuttlers will leave for Birmingham tomorrow.
Soerjadi, chairman of the Badminton Association of Indonesia, said that the All England will serve as an important test prior to the world team championships and the Olympics.
The Thomas Cup men's team and Uber Cup women's team championships will take place in Hong Kong from May 17 to May 26. The badminton Olympic is slated for July 24 to Aug. 1.
Soerjadi insisted that his squad retain the two trophies as well as the Olympic gold medals won by Susi and Alan Budikusuma.
Badminton living legend Rudy Hartono will lead Indonesian envoys who will hand in the trophies to the International Badminton Federation in Hong Kong. Both trophies will be displayed during the draw on March 17.
State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said in his speech in yesterday's ceremony that the badminton body should become a model for other sports organizations on how to develop athletes. (05)