Those Going Through Limitations
West Java natives Dheva Anrimusthi, 21, and Hafizh Briliansyah, 28, already have in their hands the gold medal of the 2019 Para-Badminton World Championships held on 20-25 Aug. 2019 in Basel, Switzerland. However, neither wants to become complacent. The men’s doubles badminton pair wants to keep flying the Red-and-White flag on the global stage. They want to surmount their limitations.
The silaturahmi (get-together) on Friday (30/8/2019) was a warm and friendly event held at Gedung Sate in Bandung. West Java Deputy Governor Uu Ruzhanul Ulum welcomed the champions of the 2019 Para-Badminton World Championships, which had just concluded on 25 Aug. 2019.
Dheva-Hafizh smiled proudly among those gathered as they presented the medals they had won at the tournament against the world\'s best shuttlers.
Dheva has brought home two gold medals. In the men\'s doubles, he and Hafizh defeated China’s Shi Shengzhuo and He Zhirui 21-18 and 21-13 in two straight sets. In the men\'s singles, Dheva defeated compatriot Suryo Nugroho 21-15, 21-15. The medals symbolize their battle against their own physical limitations.
Make peace
The medals are a sweet fruit of their training over the past three years, since they joined the regional training camp for the West Java National Paralympic Games (Peparnas) in 2016. Long before that, their spirit had inspired all the nation’s athletes.
Dheva said he was an active member of the Candra Wijaya Badminton Club in Tangerang. However, a motorcycle accident in 2013 left him with a right hand that did not function normally. He relies on his left hand for his day-to-day activities.
I still played badminton, but only with friends and neighbors. I rarely thought about entering the badminton world, because I was deemed incapacitated by the accident.
Eventually, Dheva withdrew from badminton because he had difficulty launching attacks, never mind returning the shuttlecock, since it was difficult for him to maintain the position of his hand on the racket. However, he did not quit badminton completely. He still continued to practice because badminton had been his favorite sport since childhood.
"I still played badminton, but only with friends and neighbors. I rarely thought about entering the badminton world, because I was deemed incapacitated by the accident," he said.
A few years later, Dheva\'s hope of making the nation proud was answered. Although he was cut off from f regular badminton, he found a new career path in para-badminton, for disabled athletes. He was
accepted to the SU5 category (standing/upper limb impairment). Dheva was paired with Hafizh for the 2016 Peparnas. In less than six months, the two had to harmonize their rhythms. Most importantly, they must overcome personal negativity and their limitations by learning how to use their physical shortcomings to their advantage.
They had to make peace with their physical conditions. Dheva used his disabled right hand, while Hafizh used his disabled left hand.
"We have to use the disabled hand, because it is one of the requirements of this category," said Hafizh.
Just like when he first picked up his racket after the accident, Dheva had a hard time at practice. His ability to accurately place the birdie on returns and attacks had diminished, so it took him more effort to stay in the game. Dheva also had to adjust to Hafizh’s play, since he used the opposite hand. Dheva said it was not uncommon for their rackets to collide during practice.
Hafizh went through the same ordeal. He needed time and effort to harmonize with Dheva\'s play. They must support each other on the court, fill any vacant spots and watch each other\'s backs when the other went on the attack.
"My struggle with Dheva resembled the time I tried to get up after the accident that injured my left hand. All good things happen in time. The key is to work hard,” said Hafizh, who was injured in an accident in the second grade.
The Dheva-Hafizh doubles pair’s first achievement was winning the gold in the West Java Peparnas 2016. From there, they joined the Indonesian squad for the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta. They again gave their best. Dheva won three golds in the men\'s team, the men\'s doubles SU5 and the men\'s singles SU5. Hafizh won two golds in the men\'s team and men\'s doubles SU5.
The two agree that the Asian Games was their most memorable event. They were moved when the "Indonesia Raya" national anthem reverberated through the stadium, their hearts filled with pride when the Red-and-White flew higher than the flags of other countries.
"We also felt the same at the world championships. However, there weren’t as many people singing ‘Indonesia Raya’ as there were in Jakarta during the Asian Para Games," said Dheva.
I want to feel the pride I felt on winning the Asian Para Games and the World Championships again, \'Indonesia Raya\' reverberating on the Southeast Asian and world stages.
Winning the world title does not mean that the two athletes’ struggles are over. They are readying themselves at the national training camp in Solo, Central Java, for their next target: winning gold at the 2020 ASEAN Para Games in Manila, the Philippines. Dheva has even increased his training sessions. His sights are set on the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.
"I want to feel the pride I felt on winning the Asian Para Games and the World Championships again, \'Indonesia Raya\' reverberating on the Southeast Asian and world stages,” he said optimistically.
Hafizh, Dheva and other national athletes share the same dream. Despite their limitations, they want to hear "Indonesia Raya" on the world stage. As they dream of wearing gold medals against their chests, they also dream of seeing the Red-and-White waving at the top of the world.
Dheva Anrimusthi
Place/Date of Birth: Kuningan, West Java, 5 Dec. 1998
Education: SMK Negeri 1 Kuningan vocational school (Class of 2017)
Hafizh Briliansyah Prawiranegara
Place/Date of Birth: Bogor, 26 Feb. 1991
Education: Communications Diploma, Bogor Communication Academy (Class of 2012)