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."