The Jakarta Post - Weekender

CHRISTIAN HADINATA was one of the world’s greatest badminton players in the 1970s and early ‘80s, collecting trophies in mixed and men’s doubles at the All-England and the World Championships. His second successful career as a national men’s doubles coach brought Indonesia consecutive Olympic golds at the 1996 Atlanta Games through Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagdja, an,d the 2000 Sydney Olympics (Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan). Soft-spoken and calm, the die-hard Manchester United fan is still training champions of the future at the National Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta. Here Christian reflects on his relationship with Rexy, the talented but temperamental player who has followed in his footsteps by coaching in England and now Malaysia.

When I first saw Rexy at a Jakarta-level tournament, he was a singles player. But the way he played was better suited to doubles. His smash was powerful and sharp, his drives were good. So I told Richard [Rexy's older brother, a former singles player and national mixed doubles coach] to tell Rexy to switch to doubles. Rexy agreed but on the condition that he be admitted to the national training camp.

Everyone knows Rexy has a bad temper. He smashed his rackets, kicked the trash bin and hit the net whenever he lost to his teammates during training. At first, it really disturbed others. When it happened, I usually told him to go back to his room and calm himself down.

There was one time that he was so upset and threatened not to go to the All-England with Ricky. I told him it wouldn't be a problem for me because I would still go with the other players. I asked him to think about it and let me know in the afternoon. Surprisingly, he came to me to apologize and he went on to win the All-England with Ricky.

However, there was a good side to him being so temperamental. Basically, Rexy is a perfectionist and that's why he got so upset if he didn't play well. He has great pride. This type of player is very easy to handle. It's how we could control him. Ricky was also serious with his training program but he was quieter and less expressive than his partner, which makes for such a good combination. But after he got married (in 1996), Rexy became more mature and calmer. Perhaps, it's because he had a family and had more responsibility.

I also remember when Rexy's elbow was smashed by partner Gunawan during training ahead of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His right elbow was swollen, and I told myself, "I'm dead!" The then Badminton Association of Indonesia chairman, Pak Suryadi, asked me about Rexy's condition and his chance of playing; Ricky and Rexy were our best hope at the event.

I told Pak Suryadi that there was nothing to worry about. "Rexy always gets a jinx. It's a sign that he will win," I said to reassure Pak Suryadi, although I didn't believe it myself. And they did.

When I learned that Rexy was serious about being a coach, I was quite surprised because of his bad temper. A coach needs to be able to control his emotions. I doubted if he could do it. But he has proved himself. He successfully coached England players and led them to win the bronze at the Commonwealth Games. Now he is coaching Malaysia and has produced rising stars in men's doubles.

When he got the offer from Malaysia, he called me for advice and we talked for about an hour. I told him that as a professional he shouldn't think of Indonesian public opinion about him coaching Malaysia. I also said that a career in Malaysia would be better than staying in England. He would have more challenges in Malaysia.

Professionally, Rexy is my rival now. But personally, I am very proud of him. I think I have achieved double success: helping him become a champion and to be a good coach. I believe Rexy's major test will be next year's Olympics in Beijing. As a former Olympic winner, it will be his obsession to create an Olympic champion. However, it is a warning for Indonesian coaches, too, to get their charges ready to beat Rexy's.

REXY RONALD MAINAKY is probably the most popular coach in badminton today. He made the transition from champion to coaching, first in England from January 2001 to 2005, and then in Malaysia. Under his guidance, Malaysia's men's doubles and mixed doubles teams are making a remarkable return to the international level. Despite his success overseas, the 39-year-old still dreams of following Christian by coaching in his homeland.

Who doesn’t know Christian? He is a legend. He was "untouchable" for most of us because he was way up there as an All-England winner. He was a great player as well as a great coach. So when I was competing in a tournament and he said to me to switch to doubles, I felt very honored. He said once he became the national coach he would pick me. He did.

When I was a player at the national training camp, Christian never showed any emotion, whether he was happy or angry. There was never any expression on his face. As time went by, we learned to notice his moods. We knew it from the way he talked and what he talked about. He didn't say much whenever something bothered him.

For players, Christian is a charismatic and respected coach. I don't think there is any coach in the world who can compete with him. That lack of emotion was probably Christian's advantage during my heyday because whenever we were at critical points and under pressure and we looked at his face, he always appeared calm and confident. That really boosted our spirits.

It's weird that I could get this far. When I was a kid, I loved soccer more than badminton. And I was even able to win major titles. Then I set myself a challenge: Could I go further by becoming a coach? Christian once said that considering my character it would be difficult for me to be a coach. But I proved that I was capable.

I remember what Christian always told his players. He always motivated us by saying that he wanted his players to be better than he was. I really thank God for his blessings. During my career in Malaysia, I have helped make history with my men's doubles pair (Koo Kean Kiat and Tan Beng Hong) becoming the 2006 Asian Games gold medalists and the 2007 All-England champions.

I learned coaching from Christian. Once I got the offer from England, I always watched the way he coached us and I learned from that. I also consulted him and other former coaches like Indra Gunawan and Kho Mei Hwa before taking the offer to coach in Malaysia.

For me, Christian is the man who has brought me this far, who has helped me to be successful. Even now, as a colleague, he still gives me input on coaching, but not about beating Indonesia [laughs]. I named my son, Christian Rudolf, after him. Rudolf is my father's name. Actually I wanted the name to be Rudolf Christian but it didn't sound right so I switched it around.

I still dream of coaching Indonesia. But you know how the situation is now at the national association. I hope there will be transparency and there should be leadership within the organization. There used to be a players council to voice the players' concerns about our welfare, the training system, recruitment and the sending of players to compete overseas.

+ Primastuti Handayani

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