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Indonesian Icons: Badminton legend Verawaty Fadjrin

Badminton heroine Verawaty Fadjrin passed away on Sunday, Nov. 21 at the Dharmais Hospital in Jakarta following a long battle with lung cancer. Known for her tall frame, excellent smash and never-say-die attitude, Verawaty left an impression on her fellow shuttlers – and beyond.

Amahl S. Azwar (The Jakarta Post)
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Wed, November 24, 2021 Published on Nov. 23, 2021 Published on 2021-11-23T11:12:10+07:00

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Indonesian Icons: Badminton legend Verawaty Fadjrin Partners: Imelda Wigoeno (front - facing camera) in action with her former doubles partner Verawaty Fadjrin. (Courtesy of Verawaty Fadjrin's family) (Personal collection/Courtesy of Verawati Wigoeno family)

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adminton heroine Verawaty Fadjrin passed away on Sunday, Nov. 21, at the age of 64, at the Dharmais Hospital in Jakarta following a long battle with lung cancer. Known for her tall frame, excellent smash and never-say-die attitude, Verawaty left an impression on her fellow shuttlers – and beyond.

With her towering height of 178 cm – much taller than the majority of her countrywomen – Verawaty Fadjrin (née Wiharjo) was quite intimidating whenever she stepped onto the court during her active years in the late 1970s to late 1980s.

Verawaty was known for her attacking style – with a smash famous for its fast pace and accurate placement. While powerful, Verawaty’s chief asset was considered to be her competitive spirit and mental toughness.

Verawaty competed in both singles and women’s doubles matches early in her career. In 1978, Verawaty won the Asian Games partnered with Imelda Wigoeno and, a year later, the prestigious All England. In singles, she won the 1980 edition of the IBF World Championships (now known as the BWF World Championships) in Jakarta – beating her teammate and rival Ivana Lie. 

Her “multitasking” competing style was particularly praised by Imelda – who shared that Verawaty often played both singles and women’s doubles during the women’s world team championship Uber Cup. 

“Sometimes we joked that if the rules had allowed it, Verawaty would have played three matches in one round [in the Uber Cup] and won all of them,” Imelda said, remembering her former partner fondly. 

In an interview with The Jakarta Post on Monday, Imelda noted Verawaty’s commitment while playing each variation of badminton – the singles, doubles and later mixed doubles. In Imelda’s eyes, Verawaty was always focused and responsible, as well as caring. 

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Indonesian Icons: Badminton legend Verawaty Fadjrin

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