Basel, Switzerland, August 25, 2019, Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan could not immediately jump in excitement once the opponent’s hit widened from the St. Jakobshalle in the final of the 2019 Badminton World Championship.
Although there were no expressive and spontaneous screams like the previous victories, there was a deep compassion as Ahsan and Hendra, as well as coaches Herry IP and Aryono Miranat embraced after the challenge taken by Takuro Hoki / Yugo Kobayashi confirmed the shuttlecock was off the field.
Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan won the 2019 Badminton World Championship. This moment is a crossroads between surprise and not surprise.
Surprise, if you draw the line from the point of view that the couple has parted ways after the 2016 Olympics.
With an increasingly aging age, Hendra when he had 32 years of trying an independent career as well as preparing for retirement so as not to be surprised by the difference in the atmosphere between the athlete’s competitive competitive environment with the normal environment of the ordinary population. At that time, Ahsan also tried to rearrange his career in the remaining time available because Ahsan was also 29 years old.
At that time certainly no one would have thought if Ahsan and Hendra returned to play together and successfully become world champions, three years after they had chosen a different path.
It is not a surprise to draw a line from the standpoint of the current situation before the World Championship is held. Ahsan / Hendra is the world’s number two men’s doubles under Kevin Sanjaya / Marcus Gideon, the fourth seed at the World Championships, and this year’s All England champions.
From the perspective of surprise and not surprise, there is a struggle and hard work done by the two of them so that the differences in the two points of view can be connected and understood.
After leaving the national training in 2017, Hendra was willing to be an apprentice in early 2018 when he returned to the national training in Cipayung. Ahsan also later ventured out of the national training plate and played with self-financing in order to remain partnered with Hendra in 2019.
The decision to self-finance became one of the important starting points behind the success of Ahsan / Hendra to return to the elite level this year.
With self-financing, there is another ‘burden’ that they feel. ‘The Daddies’ does not just focus on training and improving the quality of the game on the field, but takes care of tournament registration, arranging departure schedules, and choosing accommodation.
PBSI Pelatnas also took the right step by continuing to open up so that Ahsan / Hendra trained as usual in Cipayung, with the same facilities as other players.
At the age of Ahsan / Hendra, they should be able to enjoy the rest of their careers happily. If they continue to receive status as national training players, they can be more relaxed in preparing for the tournament because it only focuses on matters relating to appearances on the field.
Ahsan / Hendra is also already in a safe position, both in the eyes of fans and the media. The status of Ahsan / Hendra who ‘has made the nation proud’ through past achievements will not make them blasphemed and reviled if in recent years they have failed after failure.
The majority considered Ahsan / Hendra to be nearing the end of the line, when they were champions it meant extraordinary whereas when they lost, it meant no problem.
But in the eight months of 2019, Indonesia was again made aware that Ahsan / Hendra were not willing figures and agreed that they were within their limits.
All the achievements of Ahsan / Hendra this year, entering the finals in seven tournaments plus winning the All England and World Championships, is a valid proof Ahsan / Hendra will not voluntarily accept the definition of the limits of ability set by others.
Ahsan / Hendra do not tolerate these limits and admit that their best time has passed. Ahsan / Hendra actually makes people introspect themselves and revise their definition of the limits of an ability.
It is not easy to humble starting from the beginning because they were at the top of the world. But Ahsan / Hendra is able to do it. Keeping motivation large is difficult, keeping motivation large when you have gained many things is certainly much more difficult.
Motivation is only one aspect of the terms of achievement. Ahsan / Hendra successfully translates ambitions for achievement that are still high through hard work from day to day.
Ahsan / Hendra shows everything, about increasing age does not mean being weak, about a willingness will give path to a way.
Ahsan / Hendra shows everything, that the age of 35 is still able to impress people, that the age of almost 32 can still win the world title.
Ahsan / Hendra proved that it is not only young athletes who can raise the name of Indonesia in the eyes of the world.
