Chance for Career-Defining Medal for "The Daddies"
Hendra won an Olympic gold medal in a duo with Markis Kido in Beijing 2008. However, when Hendra paired with Ahsan at the 2016 Rio Olympics, their performances were declining.
By
AGUNG SETYAHADI FROM TOKYO, JAPAN
·5 minutes read
AFP/ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Indonesia\'s Mohammad Ahsan (R) hits a shot next to Indonesia\'s Hendra Setiawan in their men\'s doubles badminton semi-final match against Taiwan\'s Wang Chi-lin and Taiwan\'s Lee Yang during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 30, 2021.
TOKYO, KOMPAS —Indonesian badminton men\'s doubles duo Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan have taken a long and winding journey on their return to the Olympics. After stopping in the group stage at Rio 2016, the pair, who are nicknamed "The Daddies", are now in the race for the bronze medal in Tokyo 2020.
They were first paired 19 years ago and have won many titles at the BWF championship, gold at the 2014 Asian Games and three world titles. One thing they are missing is an Olympic medal, of whatever color.
Hendra won an Olympic gold medal in a duo with Markis Kido in Beijing 2008. However, when Hendra paired with Ahsan at the 2016 Rio Olympics, their performances were declining. They were stopped in the group phase, and their hopes of winning a medal were lost. "At that time, our peak performance was down," said Ahsan after qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 quarterfinals.
Hendra and Ahsan then decided to separate after Rio 2016, after failing to win an Olympic medal together.
Ahsan remained at the National Training Center of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) and paired with Rian Agung Saputro, while Hendra chose the professional route to be paired with Malaysian athlete, Tan Boon Heong.
They later officially paired again in 2018, with the principal motivation of returning to appear in the Olympics. They collected points and competed with young athletes. Their motivation and consistency led them to Tokyo 2020, which was postponed for a year due to the pandemic.
"This has become our profession, and I\'ve never won a medal and hope to bring home a medal, but I don\'t want to think too far, just step by step," said Ahsan after eliminating Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda in the quarterfinals.
AFP/ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Taiwan\'s Lee Yang (L) and Taiwan\'s Wang Chi-lin (2nd R) celebrate winning their men\'s doubles badminton semi-final match against Indonesia\'s Mohammad Ahsan (R) and Indonesia\'s Hendra Setiawan (2nd L) during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 30, 2021
The Daddies are the only Indonesian men\'s doubles team that could win a medal this year because Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon were eliminated in the quarterfinals. However, Hendra and Ahsan\'s pursuit of a gold medal was stopped in the semifinals after losing 21-11, 21-10 to Taiwanese pair Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, who were on fire. The match was recognized by Hendra and Ahsan as the toughest match in the history of their 11 encounters with the opposing duo.
"The opponent is good. We applied our strategy, but it doesn\'t work. We were under pressure from the start," said Hendra at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza on Friday (30/7/2021).
"This was really a technical problem in the arena, not because we were pressured but because we were the only ones being relied on, but the way they played put us under pressure from the start. I think this was the most difficult [of our 11 matches with them]. We tried, but there was no gap. We tried to play but were shot at, even though mentally we were ready to compete, the reality on the field was they put a lot of pressure on us from the start,” said Ahsan, who is 33 years old.
Hendra, who is 36 years old, said that from the pattern of the game with Lee and Wang, they were ready.
Malaysian meet
Ahsan apologized for stopping in the semifinals and asked for prayers for the bronze medal match on Saturday (31/7). They will face Malaysian duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
Aaron and Soh were previously defeated by Hendra and Ahsan in the preliminary Group D round with a score of 21-16, 21-19. However, Aaron and Soh found their game in the quarterfinals and beat Kevin and Marcus.
Their advancement was then stopped by Chinese duo Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen.
Encouraging motivation after losing in the semifinals is also not an easy matter. Hopefully, this medal will be the perfect career for The Daddies.
Winning a bronze medal is still an achievement to be proud of because to achieve it requires extra hard work, consistency and a strong mentality. Encouraging motivation after losing in the semifinals is also not an easy matter. Hopefully, this medal will be the perfect career for The Daddies.
"Because it\'s already a bronze medal match, all its weight is equal, and even though we lost tonight we have to get back to our state of mind, our spirit," said men\'s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
Herry raised Hendra and Ahsan\'s motivation by inviting them to accept what had happened. “In my opinion, Taipei is extraordinary, The Daddies lost quickly, the power was also lost, the moment was very difficult. Taipei played perfectly, both in defending and attacking it was extraordinary," said Herry sincerely.
Meanwhile, the mixed doubles gold medal went to the Chinese pair, Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping, who beat their compatriot Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Xiong.
AFP/ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Taiwan\'s Wang Chi-lin looks on as Taiwan\'s Lee Yang hits a shot in their men\'s doubles badminton semi-final match against Indonesia\'s Mohammad Ahsan and Indonesia\'s Hendra Setiawan during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 30, 2021.
Japan got a mixed doubles bronze after Yuta Watanabe and Arisha Higasino defeated Hong Kong pair Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet. However, two Japanese women\'s singles players, Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi, were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
