The badminton legend nicknamed “Smash 100 Watt”, Hariyanto Arbi, expressed his pride in the Indonesian team in the 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup. The Indonesian men’s and women’s teams made it to the final of the 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup at the Hi Tech Zone Sports Center, Chengdu, China, Sunday (5/5/2024).
The 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup final brought together the same two countries, namely Indonesia and China. China managed to win the title, while the Indonesian men’s and women’s team became runners-up and won a silver medal.
Even though they have not succeeded in bringing home the Thomas and Uber Cup trophies, the achievements of the Indonesian team have made many people proud, including Hariyanto Arbi. In fact, Hariyanto Arbi highlighted the improvement in women’s singles, which was previously often underestimated, but has now succeeded in providing points.
“For the Uber and Thomas Cup (Indonesia) teams, I am also proud. The achievements in the finals of both were extraordinary,” said Hariyanto Arbi. “Moreover, after 16 years the Uber (Indonesian) team was finally able to reach the final. Several players who were previously overlooked, like in the women’s singles, all three of them were able to contribute points,” he said.
The Indonesian women’s team, which was originally targeted to qualify for the semifinals, lost 0-3 to China in the top match. Indonesia failed to score after Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Ribka Sugiarto and Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo lost. Gregoria lost to Chen Yu Fei, Fadia/Rebekah lost to Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan, and Ester had to acknowledge He Bing Jiao’s superiority.
In the 2024 Uber Cup, the Uber Indonesia team had a target of reaching the semifinals, but the Indonesian badminton heroines were able to reach the final. “Initially the Uber (Indonesian) team was targeted for the semifinals, meaning they have exceeded their target. I think this is a good step for them in the future,” said Dito, Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia.
Dito emphasized that the government will continue to provide support for the development of Indonesian sports. “What I want to say is, let’s continue to support the (Indonesian) national team. We support them when they win, we still support them when they lose,” said Dito.
The last time the women’s team competed in the final match was in the 2008 Jakarta edition of the Uber Cup. The last time Indonesia won the Uber Cup was in 1996 in Hong Kong by beating China.
