Formidable Indonesian Badminton Duo Ends Team up
Considered as one of the best mixed badminton doubles team in the world, the partnership between Indonesian duo Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir has reportedly ended ahead of the Taiwan Grand Prix Gold which started this week.
The separation was an amicable one for the duo since Widianto has decided not to participate in the competition since he’s now too old to compete at the level that he was used to in the past. So he wont use his ashaway badminton racket in the Taiwan Grand Prix.
Widianto reportedly asked the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) to find a suitable replacement for 24-year old Natsir. The association found a suitable replacement in the name of Muhammad Rijal, who was sent to Taiwan to compete with Natsir at a trial basis.
On Tuesday, Natsir said that she understood Widianto’s reason, adding that she’s thankful for the guidance he provided and is now looking forward to a new chapter as Rijal’s mentor.
The newly formed duo will compete against Singapore’s Li Yujia and Terry Yeo in the first round match at the Hsingchuang Stadium.
Widianto and Natsir gained global recognition after they paired up five years ago. Together, the duo had won thirteen high-tier tournaments including the World Championships titles in 2005 and 2007.
Last year, they clinched the silver medals at the Beijing Olympics.
However, after a title win at Malaysian Open last January, the duo failed to win more trophies including the World Championships in Hyderabad, India earlier this month. The duo lost to Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark in the finals.
There were three candidates chosen by PBSI to become Natsir’s new partner. Rijal became the final choice, thanks to his previous title hauls which served as the major factor when he was chosen.
