Susi to retire from badminton

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's number one women's badminton player Susi Susanti announced Saturday that she would retire from the sport after the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok this December.

Susi has competed in a number of international tournaments including the All England and the Uber Cup. She took a gold medal in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 together with Alan Budikusuma. Susi and Alan married last year.

She said she was retiring because she wanted to concentrate on her family.

"I want to give young players the opportunity to progress and I want to concentrate on the birth of my baby this December," Susi said at the badminton training center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, Saturday.

Responding to questions of whether she would try her hand at coaching, Susi said her concern was for her family. "I do not have any plans yet but to concentrate on my family."

Apart from the 1992 Olympics, Susi won the All England in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994. She has repeatedly competed in the Uber Cup, the last time being this year when China took the title from defending champion Indonesia.

The second child of Risad Haditono and Purwo Retnowati, Susi rose to prominence during the Indonesia Open in 1983 in which she won the doubles title together with Ladawan Mulasatsathorn of Thailand.

Although Susi has captured a number of titles, she has said it was not enough and her ambition was to obtain the singles title in the Bangkok Games.

"I have been vexed by the Asian Games since 1990 until now, I have never captured the singles title. I have taken part twice in the Asian Games (1990 and 1994) but I always fall in the semifinals. This time I want to take a title at the 13th Asian Games," Susi said.

Susi's intention to retire has caused the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) to restructure its training in Cipayung.

"Because Susi will retire, we have prepared six players to be trained under coach Liang Chusia. We regret Susi's retirement but that's her choice," Agus Wirahadikusuma, PBSI's deputy chairman, said.

Agus further said the training restructuring would involve appointing assistants to the coaches.

He particularly mentioned the women's singles which have coaches Liang and Retno Kustiyah, the men's singles coaches Mulyo Handoyo and Agus Dwi Santoso, and the women's doubles coaches Atik Jauhari and Hery IP.

"But with the women's doubles, their coaches will have two assistants while the men's and women's singles will only have one assistant each," Agus said.

As to Paulus Pasurney, the physical coach, Agus said the association would keep him on contract until December. (lnt)