Susie and Alan to have farewell match
Susie and Alan to have farewell match
JAKARTA (JP): The 1992 Olympic gold medalists Susie Susanti and
Alan Budikusuma will play on Sunday a farewell match at the
Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium.
Susie said on Tuesday that she decided to say goodbye to
badminton, which has brought her fame and welfare, due to her the
responsibilities of her new baby which was born in April.
"Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) chairman Subagyo
Hadisiswoyo called me in July asking me about my commitment to
remain as a shuttler or retire. I have considered that I must
retire due to my physical condition and my age," Susie said.
"However, I won't totally turn my back on badminton. I'll
still help PBSI by becoming a consultant or share my experiences
with my younger sisters at the Indonesia Badminton Center in
Cipayung, East Jakarta," said Susie, who turned down a PBSI offer
to coach at the center saying she would focus her attention on
her six-month-old daughter.
At the farewell party, staged by PBSI and private station
RCTI, Susie will partner husband Alan in a mixed double match
against the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Hermawan Susanto and
former Uber Cup member Sarwendah Kusumawardhani.
"It will be very different when badminton lovers see me now.
I'm not as fast as I was last year. All of us just want to give
our best as a farewell party to badminton. We won't think of
winning or losing, but we'll give the audience satisfaction to
watch us on court."
Susie is currently coaching five students once a week at a
private hall near her residence in Kelapa Gading, East Jakarta,
while Alan is involved in a family food distribution business.
"I'm just continuing Susie's parents business here, and I'm
going to start my own business in the meantime," said Alan.
PBSI official in charge of athletes development Mangombar
Ferdinand Siregar said that the government should be ashamed of
the badminton community's lone efforts to express its
appreciation of the badminton champions.
"The appreciation must be given by the government. Both of
them are our hero and heroine, and it's a part of our history.
PBSI must make the farewell a tradition," he said.
The farewell match will be preceded by a men's singles match
between Taufik Hidayat and Hariyanto Arbi, followed by a men's
doubles match between Ricky Soebagdja and Flandy Limpele against
Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan.
During the farewell match, Susie and Alan will auction their
rackets. Proceeds from the auction will be distributed to
refugees in the country.
Singer Ruth Sahanaya and comedians Dono and Indro are also
scheduled to entertain the audience. The match will be aired on
Sunday Nov. 7 by RCTI.
The Rp 5,000 (US 733 cents) tickets are available during
office hours from the Senayan badminton hall on Jl. Asia Afrika,
Central Jakarta. (yan)