[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: The year was 2004, and a nation rejoiced as its badminton star Taufik Hidayat triumphed at the Athens Olympics.
There have been gold medals in the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles since, but no other Indonesian has managed to replicate Hidayat’s feat.
Enter Anthony Ginting.
One of badminton’s most affable players has also proven himself a steely competitor.
Currently ranked seventh in the world, Ginting made his Games debut three years ago in Tokyo, where he took bronze in the men’s singles.
Like Hidayat, 27-year-old Ginting hails from the same badminton club in Bandung.
And he’s aiming to follow in the legend’s footsteps again, at the upcoming Paris Olympics from July to August.
“The target is gold,” he told CNA via a translator on Monday (May 27). “Something bigger than the last Olympics.”
While clear-minded in his Olympic goal, Ginting would prefer not to ruminate on the significance of succeeding in Paris.
“Giving the victory to my family is extra motivation, but I don’t want to think about (that),” he explained, adding that he would “rather focus on moving forward, preparing well and just focusing on tournaments”.
One of these tournaments is this week’s Singapore Open, where he’s defending champion and aiming to win the men’s singles title for the third consecutive time.
Ginting’s campaign kicks off on Wednesday against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia.
[ad_2]
Source link
