The strong mentality perfectly exhibited by Liliyana Natsir, who battled excruciating pain in her knee while pursuing the Indonesia Open 2017 trophy with her partner Tontowi Ahmad, was properly rewarded with the pair receiving a Rp 500 million cash bonus, after tax, from their sponsors.

“I hope what we have received today inspires other athletes to train harder so they can also achieve their dreams. But remember, none of this comes without hardwork,” Liliyana said.

The cash reward was provided by the Bhakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation, which owns PB Djarum badminton club where the pair currently trains and Blibli online shopping.

The pair recalled that they had fought an uphill battle from the start as they met tough opponents during the early qualifiers.

“We almost lost our chance early in the competition but we managed to lift and build our game,” Liliyana said on Thursday.

However, their toughest challenge came in the final round when they faced off against the world number one pair of Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen of China. Tontowi and Liliyana had to play catch in the second game in order to secure victory, finally claiming the title in straight sets, 22-20 and 21-15.

Liliyana’s injury made her realize she needed to let Tontowi take on a larger role during the title hunt. Tontowi succeeded in leading the pair to victory at home, overcoming his own doubts that he would never take home the prestigious Indonesia Open trophy.

Tontowi acknowledged that his partner’s condition had forced him to play a larger role during the competition, which he said was one of the many initiatives pushed by Liliyana during their journey as a team.

“I look up to her and have learned from her leadership and skills on the court,” Tontowi said.

In response, Liliyana said she also realized she would sometimes get tough on Tontowi, especially when something extra was needed to win more points. However, she insisted that he didn’t take it personally.

“It doesn’t affect my relationship with Tontowi. The tension stops when the game is over,” she said.

The pair’s latest victory comes only a year after their paramount achievement of claiming gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Right now, they are preparing to compete at the world championship in Glasgow in August.

Richard Maenaky, the pair’s coach, said a specific training program had been set for the pair as Liliyana was still receiving treatment for her injured knee. He said he had received the doctors’ approval for Liliyana to continue practicing despite her injury.

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