RI faces daunting Thomas Cup task

RI faces daunting Thomas Cup task

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will face a daunting task in defending
its Thomas Cup badminton championship trophy in Hong Kong in May
due to a weakened singles team, coach Indra Gunawan said
yesterday.

Indra said he was even doubtful that his guards could snatch a
point out of the three singles matches to be played in the
biennial event.

"It will be difficult for me to decide a befitting lineup for
the singles team that can match Malaysia, much less if we play
archrival China," Indra said after attending the inauguration of
the national squad for the 13th Asian Games.

Indonesia, Thomas Cup winner in 1994 and 1996, is likely to
bank on Hariyanto Arbi, Indra Wijaya, Budi Santoso and Marlev
Mainaky in the singles matches. Former world champion Hariyanto,
the only experienced player, looks to be Indra's first singles
choice.

Thomas Cup, like its cofeatured Uber Cup women's championship,
involves five matches, three of which are singles rubbers.

Despite having three choices of world-class doubles, Indra
said that his present squad was the weakest team he had ever
coached.

"I urge them to practice more seriously and always consider
they are playing a real game during practice. This will prevent
them being nervous when they step onto the courts."

He said a special team to be set up by the Badminton
Association of Indonesia would choose the players to compete.

"My job is just to describe the team's strength and the
weaknesses of a player. In a major event like Thomas Cup, I
choose players who have potential to win rather than my favorite
players."

The badminton body will form teams for the Thomas Cup and Uber
Cup after the Swiss Open which is now underway and will finish
tomorrow.

Former Olympic women's singles champion Susi Susanti said
yesterday she was prepared to land Indonesia's third successive
Uber Cup title.

Susi, who crashed out in the third round of the All England
recently, looks certain to play the first singles because her
world ranking outshines those of her juniors.

She is currently third in the world, far ahead of her
potential successor Mia Audina who is seventh.

"I'm ready for the Uber Cup. My leg injury has healed and it
doesn't hurt anymore when I'm playing."

She said Chinese and South Korean players were much better
than Indonesians in individual competitions.

"But Uber Cup is a team event. Anything can happen, merely
because it depends heavily on the players' responsibility and
teamwork.

"We were underdogs in 1994 and 1996 but we beat top seeded
China."

Earlier yesterday, training director of the Indonesian Asian
Games team, Muhammad Hindarto, said 61 female and 95 male
athletes had joined the long-term training program under the
tutelage of 40 coaches.

The athletes will compete in 22 sports at the Asiad in
Bangkok.

The sports are track and field, badminton, boxing, canoeing,
cycling, equestrian, fencing, soccer, gymnastics, judo, karate,
rowing, sepak takraw (a traditional Southeast Asian ball game),
shooting, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, volleyball,
weightlifting, wrestling, the Chinese martial art wushu and
windsurfing. (yan)