Badminton: Anthony Ginting aims to end Indonesia’s 20-year wait for Olympics men’s singles gold
Ginting is targeting a defence of his Singapore Open title for the third consecutive time.
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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.
"MORE THAN PERSONAL GLORY"
Ginting had a difficult 2023, suffering personal tragedy after his mother died in August. He pulled out of the World Championships after.
“He’s still mourning his beloved mama,” his coach Irwansyah said then.
Ginting on Monday said he was feeling "much better" and that "everything is going well now”.
“Time will heal. There are ups and downs but I have a solid, small circle of close friends who have helped me get better.”
In Ginting and Jonatan Christie, Indonesia stand a strong chance of ending the two-decade wait for the top prize in men's singles.
Christie, who is third in the world, beat his compatriot Ginting to win the All-England title earlier this year
Indonesia's eight Olympic golds are all from badminton.
“You want the glory, but it’s more than for personal glory, it's for the country,” said Ginting.
“Apart from athletes or presidents, who else flies the Indonesia flag abroad and has the Indonesia anthem played for them?”
