BWF commentator, Gillian Clark or who is familiarly called Oma Gill, was shocked when she heard the news that Syabda Perkasa Belawa had died. Syabda Perkasa Belawa died after having an accident on the Pemalang Toll Road, Central Java, on Monday (20/3/2023) in the morning local time.
Syabda and his family made the trip from Bekasi to attend the funeral of his mother’s grandmother in Sragen, Central Java. Unfortunately, the car hit another vehicle from behind while crossing the Pemalang Toll Road. Syabda suffered serious head injuries as a result of the accident. He died after undergoing treatment.
Apart from Syabda, his mother, Anik Sulistyowati (49 years) was also reported to have died. Meanwhile, Syabda’s father was in critical condition and his older sister, Diana Sakti Anistyawati, and her sister, Tahta Bathari Cahyaloka, were injured. They were evacuated to RSI Al Ikhlas Pemalang.
Oma Gill was shocked
The news of Syabda Perkasa Belawa’s departure left deep sorrow for the closest people and the Indonesian badminton family. In fact, the international badminton community is also grieving, including BWF and the commentator, Oma Gill. Oma Gill admitted that she was very surprised and sad when she received the news that Syabda Perkasa Belawa had died.
Then, she recalled one of Syabda’s brilliant performances in action at the 2022 Thomas Cup. Syabda’s appearance at that time succeeded in impressing Oma Gill. “I am so shocked and saddened by this tragic news. I remember watching him at the 2022 Thomas Cup in Bangkok and being impressed by his real talent,” Oma Gill wrote on her personal Twitter account. “My thoughts are with the Syabda Perkasa Belawa family and the entire Indonesian badminton community,” continued Oma Gill’s statement.
Syabda Perkasa Belawa was the winner for Indonesia when he appeared in the 2022 Thomas Cup. This moment occurred when Indonesia faced South Korea in the last game of the group phase.
At that time, Syabda defeated South Korean representative Lee Yun Gyu through a rubber game and led the Indonesian Thomas team to win 3-2. Apart from shining in the Thomas Cup, Syabda Perkasa Belawa also has a number of individual achievements. He won the RSL Lithunian International and Malaysia International Series titles in 2022. Then, in 2023, Syabda Perkasa Belawa won a title in the Iran Fajr International Challenge.
