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RI shuttlers eye victories in three major events this year
Susi Susanti - Courtesy of PBSIIndonesian shuttlers are aiming to come out on top in three prestigious badminton tournaments to be held this year
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Susi Susanti - Courtesy of PBSI
Indonesian shuttlers are aiming to come out on top in three prestigious badminton tournaments to be held this year.
“For 2017, we will focus on participating in the All England, the Sudirman Cup and the World Championships,” said Susi Susanti, head of sport development at the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), as quoted by the association’s website, badmintonindonesia.org.
“We’ve selected our best representatives for the aforementioned tournaments, but first and foremost for the All England. I really hope our badminton will rise again this year,” added the badminton legend, who won the first Olympic gold medal in the women’s singles for Indonesia in 1992.
The All England, a premier level tournament, is the year’s superseries opener, and it will be held in Birmingham on March 7-12. Last year, Indonesia’s second-best mixed doubles pair Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto won a title.
In May, Indonesia will take part in the 2017 Sudirman Cup, a world mixed-team badminton championship, in Gold Coast, Australia, from May 21 to 28. Winning the event will be the country’s main target as Indonesia has never taken the title since its 1989 victory.
The third event, the World Championships, will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, on Aug. 21-27.
Susy revealed that she would bring back categorization in the national training camp. There will be elite and youth programs.
The elite program is intended for athletes with abilities that meet Susy’s short-term goals, while the youth program is for the long-term.
“The values that we look for in an athlete for the youth program are age, potential, spirit and attitude.
“Junior athletes at a young age have enough time to grow, therefore they are our priority as we plan to produce first-level, second-level and third-level athletes in the elite program,” explained Susy, who was known for her ability to combine quick and graceful movement with an elegant shot-taking technique on court during her heyday in the 1990s.
The youth program’s main targets for this year are the 2017 Asia Junior Championships in July and the 2017 World Junior Championships.
Meanwhile, Indonesian men’s doubles pair Berry Angriawan and Hardianto won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold on Sunday after beating host pair Sze Fei Goh/Nur Izzuddin 21-19 and 21-12.
Berry and Hardianto were the only Indonesians advancing to the Malaysia Masters finals.
“I hope we can snatch another win in the next tournament,” said Berry.
The victorious duo have left for Lucknow to participate in the India Grand Prix Gold, which starts on Tuesday.
