RI ascends to badminton supremacy

RI ascends to badminton supremacy

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, spurred by a raucous partisan crowd
of 12,000 that had Senayan indoor stadium bursting at the seams,
notched a memorable double by lifting both the Thomas and Uber
Cups, badminton's most prestigious team competitions, over the
weekend.

The Thomas Cup, which had eluded Indonesia's grasp for the
past 10 years, returned to the country for a record ninth time as
a supremely confident Indonesian side, which benched world
champion Joko Suprianto for strategic reasons, overwhelmed title
holder Malaysia 3-0 on Saturday night in the most one-sided final
since 1990.

The night before, Susi Susanti and company did the nation
proud by denying China a seventh consecutive title with a nail-
bitting 3-2 victory, giving Indonesia its first Uber Cup title in
19 years

Saturday's triumph was all the more sweet for the Indonesians
as they beat the team that vanquished them in the biennial series
3-2 two years ago in Kuala Lumpur.

The teams have met in six finals since 1958, with Indonesia
now holding a 4-2 edge.

Indonesia sprung a surprise by fielding Hariyanto Arbi at
first singles instead of world number one Joko in an attempt to
unsettle Malaysian ace Rashid Sidek. Hariyanto sported an
impressive 7-1 career mark against Rashid.

And the gamble paid off handsomely. Hariyanto, the only loser
in Indonesia's 4-1 semifinal victory over South Korea when he
inexplicably fell to no-name Park Sung-woo, was in an
uncompromising mood on Saturday, easily downing Rashid 15-6, 15-
11.

The Indonesian's searing leaping-smashes landed time and time
again, reducing the Malaysian to retrieving most of the shots.

At first doubles, Indonesia's world number one pair of Rudy
Gunawan and Bambang Suprianto were extended to three sets before
downing Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang 15-10, 6-15, 15-8.

Smelling blood, in the spirit of the Idul Adha holiday, Ardy
Wiranata then employed his attacking lobs to take out an
obviously-distracted Ong Ewe Hock. With victory in sight, the
crowd was at its most unruly, baiting and jeering the Malaysian
throughout.

"Indonesia chose the right lineup by sitting Joko," Rudy
Hartono, Indonesia's eight-time All-England champion, said.

He said Joko was not playing well enough to tame the talented
Rashid. "It's better not to risk fielding a certain player if we
are not sure he will win," he said.

Executive Chairman Sumaryono indicated that the Badminton
Association of Indonesia (PBSI) would provide cash bonuses to
each player and coach. He refused to mention the amount of the
bonus, but said: "Each player and coach will receive the same
amount."

Fanatics

The honorary referee of the International Badminton Federation
(IBF), Roger Johansson, decided to halt Saturday's final after
Ardy's win gave Indonesia an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

"The winner was already decided and it would be better to
present the Cup when the crowd expected it. I was afraid the
situation could have gotten worse with the bottle-throwing or if
there was a fire," the Swedish referee said, adding that he did
not hear any complaints from the Malaysian team.

A number of unruly Indonesian fans hurled plastic bottles and
sticks at Malaysian players and officials in a display of
rowdiness that tainted their heroes victory.

Johansson said he made his decision after a brief discussion
with meet organizers. "We found that the remaining two matches
would not be interesting," he said.

He refused to blame the crowd for causing the shortened final.
"I'm very pleased with the organizers who managed to control the
crowd. Indonesian supporters are sometimes too enthusiastic,"
Johansson, who found himself dodging plastic bottles and sticks
from time to time, said.

The organizers estimated the number of spectators at 12,000 on
Saturday, well over the air-conditioned venue's 9,500 capacity.

The furious crowd also caused the Malaysian side to remain in
their heavily-guarded locker room instead of participating in the
medal presentation ceremony. No less than 600 standby security
officers were stationed around the arena.

Malaysian team manager Punch Gunalan conceded that Indonesia's
shuttlers were better, but complained about the overreacting home
supporters. Amid a barrage of reporters, Gunalan said in a high-
pitched voice: "I don't know what the crowd wants from us. Even
without their vicious support, Indonesia would have beaten us."

PBSI Chairman Sumaryono apologized to Gunalan and his squad
for the crowd's disruptive behavior. (amd/bas)