Jakarta: Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma who both won women’s singles and men’s singles gold medal in the Barcelona Olympic, were known as the golden couple in badminton. They were married in February 1997 at a lavish wedding attended by 2000 guests and are now blessed with three children.
Speaking to Indonesian media on Friday, both Olympic gold medalists passed on some advice on how to become a World champion.
According to Susi Susanti, the first step that make a player stands out above the rest is that the player has to have a passion for the sport and the pursuit of excellence.
“I told my father I wanted to become a world champion at very young age, therefore, I’ve worked really hard to improve my skill and technique to become a better badminton player later in life,” said Susanti.
The second factor which separate Susi Susanti from the rest of the women’s singles players was the support of her parents.
“The support of the parents had been very important. My mother was my role model, she always provided the ‘4 healthy 5 perfect’ to me every day,” added Susanti.
“4 healthy 5 perfect” is a phrase that every little child would know in Indonesia. It means: our daily food should consist of rice (carbohydrate), vegetables (fiber), meat (protein), and fruit (fiber n vitamin), this is healthy, but to be perfect we add milk as the fifth.
Similar to Susi Susanti, Alan Budikusuma also stressed that family had played a major role in helping him to become a great champion.
“Support from parents was critically important for me. My parents always attended my matches, especially my dad,” said Budikusuma.
The final tip to being a world champion, according to Budikusuma, was to be polite and to be disciplined.
“My dad always strived to ensure that I remained disciplined no matter what. He wanted me to treat the elderly as well as my opponent with respect and good manners,” added Budikusuma.
“Being a champion is more about having the right attitude than the title itself,” said Budikusuma.
