Taufik named in SEA Games squad
Taufik named in SEA Games squad
JAKARTA (JP): World ranked number 11 badminton player, Taufik
Hidayat, finally joins the national squad for the 20th Southeast
Asian Games in Brunei next month, despite an objection that he is
lacking preparation.
"It's not that I don't want to fight for my country but I
think it would have been better if the National Sports Council
(KONI) had asked the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)
earlier to include me in the team," Taufik said after a practice
session on Friday.
"My coach has prepared me to compete in the Singapore and
Indonesia Open tournaments as qualifying rounds for the 2000
Olympic Games. If I have to play in the SEA Games, we must change
my training program," he complained.
The inclusion of Taufik in the team was announced on Thursday
by KONI. The council, which aims to win 70 of 235 golds
available at the Southeast Asian Games, urged PBSI to make a
clean sweep of seven golds instead of its original target of only
five.
The PBSI official in charge of athletes development, Mangombar
Ferdinand Siregar, said that Taufik would be concentrating on the
singles event.
"He must win the singles gold medal. While in the team event,
he will probably only play in the semifinals and final," he said.
Siregar said Taufik would have to return home sooner than the
contingent to prepare for the Singapore Open.
"Actually, I object the decision because it's really sudden. I
was shocked. But I have to be ready to play," Taufik said.
PBSI has registered Jeffer Rosobin, Ronny Agustinus, and Johan
Hadikusuma in the men's singles and Flandy Limpele, Eng Hian,
Halim Heryanto, Agung Wahyu and Imam Tohari in the men's doubles.
Taufik will replace Imam.
But the singles shuttlers performed poorly in the Malaysia
Open last week and the ongoing Thailand Open. Jeffer, who played
in the Asia Cup championships in 1996, lost to Malaysian Rashid
Sidek in Kuala Lumpur and to Malaysian Yap Yong Yen in Bangkok.
Taufik said he had expected that KONI would urge him to play
at the biennial event after the council had announced its
objection with PBSI team lineup.
"But I was still surprised when my coach, Mulyo Handoyo, asked
me on Wednesday to play at the Games. I called my parents and
they suggested to me that I should play."
Taufik has been scheduled to play in the Singapore Open from
Aug. 23 to Aug. 29 and Indonesia Open from Sept. 1 to Sept. 5 in
Bali. He hoped to reach the semifinals in both Grand Prix series.
"No matter what the result in the SEA Games is, I will still
compete in both tournaments. I have set my target to finish
eighth in the world by the end of this year. In May 2000, I have
to be in the best four or five. I must ensure that I get the best
ranking to prepare for the Olympics draw next year," said the
Olympic Solidarity scholarship recipient.
Coach Mulyo said he would prepare Taufik harder to be ready to
compete in three tournaments in a row.
"It maybe hard for him but we must push him to be stronger. He
must work harder to succeed in the three events," he said.
Mulyo named Malaysian singles of Wong Choon Han, Roslin
Hashim, Yong Hock Kin and Jason Wong as Taufik's strongest
opponents.
In the women's team, PBSI has registered Cindana, Ellen
Angelina, Lidya Djaelawidjaja, Yuli Marfuah, Etty Tantri, Cynthia
Tuwankotta, Emma Ermawati and Vita Marissa.(yan)