It was sheer bad luck for Gopi: Arif

By V. V. Subrahmanyam

HYDERABAD, JUNE 12. The prestigious World badminton championship will be held every year after the 2003 edition, according to Mr. S. M. Arif, India's chief coach, on his return from the Seville meet where All England champion, Pullela Gopi Chand, lost in the quarterfinals. This was one of the major decisions taken by the International Badminton Federation last week.

Speaking to The Hindu on his return, Mr. Arif also mentioned that it had been decided in principle to hold the Sudirman Cup and World championship separately, keeping in mind the players' concern about the long and taxing schedule. On his experience in Seville, Arif said the venue was not fit to host such a prestigious championship. ``They just didn't have the experience to conduct an event of that magnitude. Even the heat was too much for the players,'' Mr. Arif remarked.

Commenting on the performance of the Indians, Mr. Arif said he was happy with the team's showing in the Sudirman Cup. ``It was good to see the women's doubles team of P. V. V. Lakshmi and D. Biju qualify for the main draw of the World championship, a first-time feat for the country. I am particularly happy with the way Gutta Jwala and Shruthi Kurien combined so well in the team event. It was a very good experience,'' Mr. Arif said.

Mr. Arif added that he was disappointed with Manjusha for not informing the team management about her indisposition before an important match and instead preferring to play in poor shape. ``I still believe that Jwala and Shruthi Kurien would be the stars to watch in doubles,'' he replied to another query. ``It was a wonderful learning experience for them in Spain and I hope they will be richer by that,'' Mr. Arif added.

Referring to Gopi, the most experienced coach said it was unfortunate that the All England champion developed blisters on the left foot in the pre-quarterfinals. ``In the quarterfinal against Hong, it was really painful for him. It was really sad. It looked as if Gopi was just matching the high expectations with the way he won the previous matches. Though we thought of puncturing the blisters, we were against it on medical advice for fear of aggravating the pain. It was sheer bad luck for Gopi,'' he noted.

Arif admitted that Hong was in his element and was therefore able to exact revenge for the defeat in the All England final against Gopi. Hong made Gopi play at the net, clearly exploiting the latter's discomfiture and inability to move fast.For the untiring coach, the focus has already shifted to the Commonwealth Games next year which has a format similar to the Sudirman Cup. ``We should start preparing in a big way for that event,'' Mr. Arif concluded.

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