Sony aiming higher after Athens

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Sony was beside himself, laying on the floor in exultation after winning. His left hand covered his face as he struggled to hold back tears. Moments later he rose to his feet, clinching his teeth in sheer happiness before shaking hands with his vanquished opponent, Boonsak Polsana of Thailand.

As the TV camera panned the stands, a handful of red and white flags were seen waving as spectators cheered him on.

It was a playoff for the bronze medal in Athens. It was not an unprecedented performance, as Indonesian badminton players have a plethora of international accolades, including from previous Olympics.

Nevertheless, given the medal scarcity (four medals so far) by the Indonesian Olympic contingent, Sony's hard-fought victory was a relief, not only to Indonesian supporters, both inside the Gaoudi Hall in Athens and back home, but particularly to the player himself.

"Every shuttler, without a doubt, wants to be a champion in the Olympics. Who wouldn't? It was just that I found it so tough out there. This is the best I could achieve, anyway," Sony told The Jakarta Post by phone after he and other medal winners were received by President Megawati at the State Palace here on Thursday.

With the bronze, Sony was making amends for his loss in the semifinals. And that seemed enough to give him a boost to look ahead with optimism.

"I'm still young and many international tournaments await my challenge. I will take the challenge and try to give the best in the future," the 20-year-old Sony said.

After losing the Asian Championship crown he had held twice and having his Thomas Cup hopes shattered, Sony went to Athens to redeem himself with a high level of confidence.

And the East Javanese player beat Moh. Roslin Hashim and Park Tae-sang with his aggressive play to extend his domination in head-to-head meetings with the two.

But, Sony's run came to a halt, succumbing to Shon Seung-mo in the semifinals.

Disappointed as he was, Sony said was happy with the bronze and his performance overall.

"I gave my best performance in those games and my opponents were really good shuttlers so this is the best result that I could give," he said.

Sony was born a shuttler, with father Muhammad Sumaji a coach at the Wisma Citra Nusantara badminton club in Surabaya, East Java.

He began taking playing formally there when he was just seven and joined the national training center in 2001. As he has aged, he has improved his technique and speed.

He was included on the Indonesian men's team for the 2002 Thomas Cup championship for the first time but was not much more than a waterboy as he was not given a chance to play.

However, being part of the euphoria of the team's Thomas Cup victory, seemed to fire him up to train harder.

In the next Thomas Cup he was the ace of the team as Indonesia's highest ranked singles player, thanks to his impressive runs that earned him a gold at the 2003 Southeast Asian Games and back-to-back Asian championships in 2002 and 2003.

Sony may not have won gold, but his Olympic run has given him confidence, and because he is still young he may expect an even better performance in the future.

Coach Joko Supriyanto believes Sony will have a remarkable amount of self-confidence after his fine Olympic run.

"I think Sony has shown an improved self-confidence given his Olympic performance. That's a good sign, because self-confidence is very important for a shuttler," Joko said.

"He seems to be able to convince himself that he can win another game. His medal victory put him among the world's top players.

"Hopefully, Sony's confidence will grow, then I can expect him to win the All England and World Championship next year," Joko said.

Joko's optimism is not unfounded and Sony should be able to get to the next level of sport's elite, including the next Olympics in Beijing where he should get a chance to convert his bronze to a brighter shade of precious metal.