Rexy says goodbye to fans in final show

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)