Taufik splits with coach; concern over Olympics bid
Taufik splits with coach; concern over Olympics bid
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Taufik Hidayat got a financial boost in the run-up to his 2004
Olympics campaign, but Indonesia's number one shuttler disclosed
after the contract signing here on Wednesday that he had already
parted with his coach in suspiciously controversial manner.
Taufik and doubles specialist Candra Wijaya signed a one-year
contract, whose value was not known, with Samsung Electronics
Indonesia (SEIN), under which the latter is committed to
providing financial support for the players' tournament expenses
throughout the season until the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Candra, who was a gold medalist with Tony Gunawan at the 2000
Olympics, has made it a third year of partnership.
It is the first year partnership by Taufik, and it should pave
way for the 22-year-old to have a chance of attaining one among
the major titles that has become his obsession.
However, the road to Olympic gold could be rough for Taufik as
it appears that he had not trained under coach Joko Supriyanto
for the past three weeks.
"I last trained with him one week before my competition in the
Denmark Open," Taufik said. His face showed a downbeat mood.
The Denmark Open lasted from Sept. 23 to Sept. 28, where
Taufik, who had successfully defended his Indonesia Open title in
two weeks earlier, crashed out in the quarterfinals.
"I have been training away from Cipayung," he said, referring
to the Indonesian Badminton Center, where national badminton
athletes are groomed.
"It's hard, I have to admit, to train without a coach. But
that's what I have to do now," said Taufik, adding that he left
the matter to the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).
Taufik said that it was Joko who left him, but the badminton
star would not disclose the reason behind the fallout.
"He wouldn't tell you why, would he? Why should I?" he said.
Joko was not available for comment.
When contacted, Christian Hadinata, the director of the
Cipayung center, asked the media not to harp on the issue, saying
that he could not comment as yet.
"Don't overhype this. We are certainly looking for a way out,"
he told The Jakarta Post.
When asked whether the apparent rift could affect Indonesia's
Olympic campaign, he said: "we still have a lot of time to
prepare. Hopefully, we can bring it to an end soon."
While the truth has yet to be discovered, Taufik's breakup
with his coach is yet another problem on his list of coach-player
relationship issues.
By the end of 2002 he was upset with the national badminton
association and protested against the association's decision not
to partner him with his preferred coach.
The fallout led him to his threat of quitting the national
team and defecting to Singapore. The two side came to compromise
at the end.
The bumps in the road in his training could wreck Taufik's
ambition to win gold in Athens.
Taufik went to the 2002 Sydney Olympics as a favorite only to
exit in the quarterfinals at the hands of eventual champion Ji
Xinpeng.