Taufik mesmerizes Shon to strike Olympic gold
Taufik mesmerizes Shon to strike Olympic gold
Agence France-Presse, Athens
Unseeded Indonesian Taufik Hidayat produced a silky display which
oozed class and confidence to win the gold medal in the Olympic
men's singles badminton here on Saturday.
A quarterfinalist at the Sydney Games, Taufik overpowered
South Korean seventh seed Shon Seung-Mo 15-8, 15-7 in the final
in 44 absorbing minutes at a packed and noisy Goudi Complex.
Eighth seed Sony Dwi Kuncoro ensured a double celebration for
Indonesia by taking the bronze.
Boonsak took an 8-3 lead in the first game, but Sony rallied
to level at 10-10 and took advantage of his opponent's errors to
win 15-11.
Sony opened up a 5-1 lead in the second game only for the Thai
to overtake for a 14-11 lead and threaten to push the match into
a third game. Sony dug deep, diving to retrieve smashes to edge
the game 17-16.
Indonesia also won bronze in the men's doubles courtesy of Eng
Hian and Flandy Limpele on Friday.
Frozen by nerves and the weight of expectation of hopeful
Indonesians, Taufik was 7-1 down in the opening game and looked
as if he might fold under the pressure.
But the temperamental 23-year-old, who has a reputation for
blowing his lid when things don't go his way, steadied his nerves
after a shaky start, pounding Shon into submission with his
trademark leaping smashes and crafty drop-shots.
Taufik was comforted by his coach Mulyo Handoyo at the end of
a gripping contest as he let go of his emotions in a flood of
tears.
Celebrating his first win in Europe, Taufik admitted he was
suffering from stage fright as Shon shot into a six-point lead.
"I was very nervous because I knew that all of Indonesia was
watching me and were expecting me to win," he said.
"But I always felt in my heart that I had the will to win and
that I could take the gold."
Taufik, who two years ago came very close to playing for
Singapore after falling out with the Indonesian badminton
association before performing a dramatic U-turn, heaped praise on
Mulyo for helping him to calm his volatile temper.
"Mulyo has been an inspiration for me." said Taufik, the Asian
champion.
"He knows how to handle me and we are always together. He is
the only coach who really understands me."
Often criticized for underachieving in big tournaments despite
his immense talent, Taufik explained how he produced the
performance of his life to emulate legendary compatriot Alan Budi
Kusuma, who took gold in the men's singles in Barcelona 12 years
ago.
"This is the Olympics, there is no bigger motivation," he
said.
Shon, partially sighted in his right eye after being hit in
the face by a shuttlecock when he was 15, admitted he had no
answer to Taufik's blend of subtlety and speed.
"At the beginning my tactics worked well and I felt I was in
control," he said.
"But then I hit a few loose strokes and Taufik started to
defend very well and I became frustrated. I made too many
mistakes and that's why I lost the match."