Sacrifice: Badminton star's key to success First posted 01:42am (Mla time) May 23, 2005 By Jasmine Payo Inquirer News Service Editor's Note: Published on Page A30 of the May 23, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer HE RECEIVED a lavish welcome after winning Indonesia's only gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. But surprisingly, all the attention still overwhelmed Taufik Hidayat, the badminton men's singles champion in Athens. "It was fantastic," said Hidayat yesterday at the close of the Inquirer Badminton Expo at the Megatrade Hall 2 in Megamall. "I liked it very much. I was happy that I'm being recognized not only in Indonesia but also here in the Philippines." Although known for his off-court temper, Hidayat brought a refreshing aura and shared some tips to aspiring Filipino shuttlers. "If you want to be really good, you have to sacrifice a lot of things," said Hidayat, who along with 2005 Swiss Open champion Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia, drew hundreds of enthusiasts in their two-day Yonex-Sunrise Exhibition Match. "Once you decide to become a badminton player, you have to let go of other things in your mind," said Hidayat, noting he once favored soccer over badminton. "You have to concentrate, like I had to practice everyday." Hashim added it took total dedication before he developed his skills to world-class level. "You have to sacrifice your time," said Hashim, who started playing badminton at 8 years old. "It's good to start young and at 15 or 16 years old, you should already be playing in high-level competitions." For national team coach Martin Araneta, badminton is already heading in the right direction locally. "With the badminton boom here in our country, people are now seeing it as a serious sport and not just a backyard game," said Araneta, who also presented the RP team members led by top seed Lloyd Escoces, Ian Piencenaves and Alma Ledesma, during their badminton clinic. Hidayat and Hashim also awarded the trophies to Inquirer Bulilit Tournament champs Jan Banquiles and Gelita Castillo of Alabang Racquet Club-Mizuno. Banquiles and Castillo overpowered Carlos Antonio Cayanan and Nicole John Ureta of Hearty Plus-Kason, 21-8. AC Chan and Julius Lagdamen of Teebox-San Juara placed second after edging Camille Chu and D. Macaraig of Sportshouse, 21-13. wow, i had no idea, that they were there (silly me), neway, do they know each other? i mean personally, of course they know each other professionally
