JABAR EKSPRES – Indonesian men’s doubles pair Hendra Setiawan / Mohammad Ahsan said they were still motivated to collect point by point in order to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“(About the motivation for the Paris Olympics) We haven’t gotten a medal yet, yes. So we both try, lah, to qualify,” Hendra said when met at Pelatnas PBSI Cipayung, Jakarta, Monday (8/14).
Furthermore, the couple who are familiarly called The Daddies said their enthusiasm for the world’s biggest sports party was also expected to spur the motivation of younger Indonesian badminton players to continue to fight on the field.
“This is also good for the juniors, to not want to lose to us. So this is for their motivation too,” Hendra added.
The Hendra / Ahsan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics failed to win a bronze medal after losing to Malaysian pair Chia Aaron / Son Wooi Yik in a rubber game 21-17, 17-21, 14-21.
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In order to qualify for the Olympics next year, The Daddies must compete with other top players in the world to collect points. One of them is the 2023 Badminton World Championship which will roll out on August 21-27 in Denmark.
“There are approximately 10 days of preparation. It’s short, but we still prepare well. Maybe now it’s more about (finalizing) as many techniques as possible,” said Ahsan.
Hendra / Ahsan also get a bye so they don’t need to go through the first round of the upcoming World Championship. They will later meet representatives of Peru or Italy, however, The Daddies do not want to let their guard down and continue to focus on match after match.
“All opponents are tough, yes. Especially at the World Championships, anyone can win, so we have to focus from the start,” Hendra said.
