Sony aiming higher after Athens

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.