At the oldest Badminton tournament, the Indonesian men’s doubles pair overcame the pressures of being a defending champion and prove themselves as the best pair in the world.
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BIRMINGHAM, MONDAY — Hard work, commitment and never giving up have led Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo-Marcus Fernaldi Gideon to successfully defend their All England title for the second time. At the oldest Badminton tournament, the Indonesian men’s doubles pair overcame the pressures of being a defending champion and prove themselves as the best pair in the world.
Former badminton player Christian Hadinata said on Monday (19/3) in Jakarta that Kevin-Marcus had passed the mental challenge of playing as the defending champions. “Many athletes, after becoming champions, their performances decline because they cannot overcome the pressure. But Kevin-Marcus did otherwise. They could escape the pressure, take control of the game and win convincingly,” said the 1980 two-time world champion in men’s doubles (with Ade Chandra) and mixed doubles (with Imelda Wiguna).
Kevin-Marcus took the All England championship on Monday after defeating Danish pair Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen 21-18, 21-17 in Birmingham Arena, the United Kingdom. The Indonesian pair’s achievement was a repeat of their 2017 win.
With the victory, Kevin-Marcus also became the first Indonesian men’s doubles team to take the All England championship twice in a row in 22 years, succeeding the record set by Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky (1995-1996).
Other Indonesian pairs that dominated the All England more than once were Christian Hadinata-Ade Chandra (1972-1973) and Tjun Tjun-Johan Wahjudi (1974-1975, 1977-1980).
Meanwhile, Christian said many countries would try to shake Kevin-Marcus from their position in world badminton, particularly ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
A similar thing happened when Ricky-Rexy collected their two All England trophies. Many countries tried to beat them ahead of the 1996 Olympics. At the Atlanta Olympics, Ricky-Rexy had solid play and took the gold medal.
Thus, Kevin-Marcus must maintain their physical and mental strength as well as their motivation in order to win gold at the 2020 Olympic Games. They must prioritize the match to retain their title as champions.
In the 42-minute final, Kevin-Marcus continued to dominate over Boe-Mogensen through a play rich with “magical” strikes, for example, with Kevin hitting the shuttlecock while spinning.
Boe-Mogensen, the world number two, tried to overcome the Indonesian champions by slowing down the play. But the weak defense of the Danish players handed Kevin-Marcus the advantage.
Leading the second game at 20-17, Kevin ran to mid-court for a powerful return. His opponents failed to anticipate Kevin’s smash, which won the title for Indonesia.
Kevin-Marcus improved their record to 4-4 with their match against Boe-Mogensen.
The pair’s success of received accolades from many parties. President Joko Widodo congratulated them on his Twitter account. “Congratulations on the success of Kevin Sanjaya-Marcus Gideon in defending the All England title. Defend the title to grab another. Indonesia is proud! – Jkw”, the President tweeted.
Strengths
Christian said Kevin-Marcus’s victory lay in the combination of a fast and powerful play that placed their opponents in a difficult position. Their style of play was a natural talent that was nurtured over many years through hard training.
Men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said Kevin-Marcus’s specialty was their ability to change their strikes. “Their opponents learn from each game. That is why I told them to make a variety of strikes,” said Herry in England.
Herry said Kevin played at the All England without having fully recovered from his injury. To get his hands into condition, Kevin warmed up using rubber resistance bands.
Before the match, Marcus also had a problem with his hands. “It shows that their spirit is their main asset,” Herry said.
After winning the China Open title last year, Kevin-Marcus collected five more titles in sequence at the Hong Kong Open, the Dubai Super Series Final, the Indonesia Masters, the India Open and now, the All England.
Herry said the Kevin-Marcus’s key to success was their strong motivation and mental strength. “They must become an example for other men’s doubles players,” said Herry.
Indonesia’s target
After the All England 2018, the Indonesian teams will work toward the next targets: the Thomas and Uber Cup, the BWF World Championship and the Asian Games. The next tournament is the Asia Badminton Championship from Apr. 24-29 in Wuhan, China.
The All England results show that much work remains to be done, given that all singles players and doubles pairs – men and women – lost in the first or second qualifying matches.
Indonesia sent four men’s doubles pairs to the All England. Angga Pratama-Rian Agung Saputro and Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto lost in the first qualifying match while senior doubles paie Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan was defeated on the second qualifier.
Herry said age was a factor in the slower pace of Hendra-Ahsan’s play. “This must be attended to. Ahead of the Thomas Cup, I want to find a solution as to what style of play best sts Hendra-Ahsan,” he added.