Shuttlers face daunting year
JAKARTA (JP): An overwhelming Indonesia kept the badminton world map under its thumb in 1994, but a daunting year lies ahead for all world shuttlers vying for an Olympic Games berth next season.
Badminton will make its second appearance as a full-fledged medal event in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) has announced that the world grand prix series in 1995 will serve as qualifying rounds for the world's biggest sporting extravaganza.
Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma are aiming for their second Olympic laurels before confirming their wedding date.
There is no doubt that Indonesia wrote its 1994 badminton story in style. As a solid team, it chalked up historical victories by bringing home the Thomas and Uber Cups. The team came just shy of repeating double glory at the Asian Games in Hiroshima when the South Korean women's shuttlers came charging to sink a Susi Susanti-led squad.
Indonesia won a total of 35 individual titles on offer at 20 world grand prix championships series this year. They also set up a string of all-Indonesian finals in as many tournaments entered.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), armed with brilliant coaches and state-of-the-art training methods, will be facing its most challenging season ever next year. The badminton globe trot starts with the Taipei Masters in mid-January.
First of all, PBSI has been struggling to balance their elite players with the second stringers.
National women's team coach Liang Chushia is the preacher who frequently warns Indonesia of a possible Olympic nightmare. "Nobody will go level with Susi in the next five years," she says. Liang's singles troop includes Yuliani Sentosa, Yuni Kartika, Mia Audina, Ika Henny, all with up-and-down records.
"They are equal in skills, but they need extra composure to match Susi," Liang said between long breaths. None of Liang's "reserve squad" reached their peak this year, leaving the world badminton queen Susi alone in every tournament she joined.
Mia perhaps has the brightest prospects in Atlanta. She was just 15 when she won the decisive rubber for her side's 3-2 victory over defending champion China in the Uber Cup final.
The impressive teenager, renowned for her acrobatic cross- court drives, notched another big name scalping when she outlasted third seed Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden in the recent World Grand Prix finals in Bangkok.
Playing the exhausting single-fighter role cost Susi the biggest-ever upset in Hiroshima's Asian Games last October. Hizako Mitsui, popular at home but with no name in the badminton world, dashed Susi's dreams of Asiad gold in their semifinal match.
Aging players
The year of 1994 saw an Indonesian men's singles team pushing the upper-age bracket, with Hermawan Susanto and Joko Suprianto close to the end of their golden ages. Indonesia's magnificent three of Ardy Wiranata, Hariyanto "the Jumping Jack" Arbi and Alan Budikusuma will also lose some of their magic.
Joko clearly ran out of steam when he suffered his second successive loss to Chinese ace Dong Jiong in Bangkok. Earlier, the Indonesian title holder had enough luck on his side to survive a thriller against Dutch number one Jeroen van Dijk.
Joko is expected to defend his world championship title in May in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The 21-year-old Dong, conqueror of Hariyanto in the Asia Cup, is coach Li Yongbo's best bet to re-establish China's superiority, along with fellow players Sun Jun and Hu Zhilan, both in their early twenties.
"Li has done a great job. He encourages dynamic, attack badminton and Dong is one of the most exciting players to come along in a long time," English badminton great Gillian Clark said.
Both world number one Ardy and Olympic champion Alan will be 27 next year, while head coach Indra Gunawan is scrambling for new prodigies.
"We can hardly rely on players who are riding their lowest performances," Indra says. PBSI, bidding for more Olympic triumph in 1996, plans to field a bigger portion of young players in as many tournaments as possible over the next two years.
"We want to have as many players as possible in the 1996 Olympics," Indra says.
Ardy, winner of five titles this year, will start the 1995 season as world number one. IBF has announced that all players will begin the new season and Olympic campaigns with their year- end points.
Indra has so far nurtured a back-up squad of Lioe Tiong Ping, Hendrawan and Fung Permadi to fill the shoes of Joko and his triumphant Thomas Cup team.
Fung and Lioe secured places in world elite 16 in Bangkok, but failed to make further progress. Lioe was tamed by Ardy's resilience, while Fung was no match for Dong. Lioe provided Indra a sigh of relief this year, despite his lone title in the Canadian Open.
It is no longer safe to assume that badminton crowns will be brought home to Jakarta when the Indonesian shuttlers join the race. (amd)