Rexy says goodbye to fans in final show

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian badminton lovers should have been smiling and laughing when Rexy Mainaky and Tony Gunawan managed to oust top seeds Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah of Malaysia in Sunday's final of the US$150,000 JVC Asian Badminton Championships at Senayan Indoor Stadium.

But instead, they were stunned when there was an announcement of a modest farewell ceremony to the 32-year-old badminton wonder who will start his new job as coach for the British badminton team on Jan. 8 next year.

Rexy was speechless when junior Eng Hian gave him credit for his service and achievements during his career as a shuttler. He reached his peak form in 1996 when he and Ricky Subagja -- who has been absent after marrying swimmer Elsa Manora Nasution on Oct. 28 -- took the gold in the Atlanta Olympics.

"I can only say thank you to my beloved and loyal fans..." said Rexy in his speech, which was cheered by the crowd. "I also want to thank my friends at the Indonesian Badminton Center, juniors and seniors, who have helped me by giving me criticism and support."

"I also thank coaches Christian Hadinata, Atiek Djauhari, Herr Imam Pierngadi and Sigit Pamungkas for their guidance."

Rexy admitted that he was very surprised with his juniors' spontaneity in throwing the modest ceremony and by presenting him with a caricature of himself.

"I was very surprised. I had no idea about the event. If only they told me earlier, I could prepare my speech better," said Rexy while signing autographs for fans.

"I also apologized to the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) officials because I often criticized them as players. I did it to make PBSI better."

Rexy had been approached by the Badminton Association of England since 1998 before finally signing a three-year contract in Sydney.

He qualified for the Olympics in 1992 but his most victorious stage started in 1993 when he clinched the world's top spot and held onto it for nearly four years before juniors Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto took over.

Candra now partners with Tony -- they continued the gold medal tradition in Sydney -- after Sigit was banned in 1998 due to doping allegations.

Christian said: "Rexy is a role model for juniors in terms of his commitment. When he aims for a target in a championship, he will work really hard to realize it.

"We are lucky that we have juniors of the same quality as him technically. They only need to improve themselves in their commitment and concentration."

Candra told reporters that the juniors must take Rexy as an example to boost their performance in international events.

"Kak (older brother) Rexy has performed consistently during his career. We have to learn something from his discipline and hard work."

Rexy himself urged juniors to strengthen their confidence on the court, especially in international tournaments.

"They must have the courage inside that they can win. Make themselves more disciplined in their training sessions and daily lives," said Rexy, who aims to help the British team perform well in next year's All England and World Championships. (yan)