KUALA LUMPUR: Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka’s name may be quite a tongue twister.
But according to veteran Wong Choong Hann, badminton fans had better get used to pronouncing it because the Indonesian youngster is set to be one of the bright stars to watch out for at this year’s Thomas Cup Finals, which will be held at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16.
Dionysius, the world number 26, is the reserve player in the Indonesian squad. The others are regulars Taufik Hidayat, Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.
He was selected ahead of Tommy Sugiarto and it could be due to his fighting performance against Chen Jin of China before bowing out 16-21, 21-19, 20-22 in the opening round of the All-England in Birmingham in March.
Tommy, who is son of the legendary Icuk, did not make the cut despite having had the experience of being the reserve in the squad at the last edition in Jakarta two years ago.
Choong Hann, who will play in the second singles for Malaysia, said that Dionysius had all the qualities needed to go far in the game.
“Having played so long, players like me can spot those with talent and I am convinced that there is something special about Dionysius. He is skilful and I have not seen one like him for some time,” said Choong Hann.
“He has a certain quality in him that sets him apart from several youngsters who have come through the pipeline in Indonesia.”
Besides Dionysius, Choong Hann also expects Japan’s Kenichi Tago, Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen and Shon Wan-ho of South Korea and China’s Chen Long to take over the mantle from the seasoned campaigners.
“Some of the senior players have been recalled to play for their respective countries in the Finals. But this does not mean the current youngsters are not good enough but they are just going through a transition process now,” he said.
“The 21-point rally scoring format has allowed players like me to stay longer than we ought to. But I am confident a new era of players is just waiting to take over.”
Taken from: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/5/2/sports/6175471&sec=sports
But according to veteran Wong Choong Hann, badminton fans had better get used to pronouncing it because the Indonesian youngster is set to be one of the bright stars to watch out for at this year’s Thomas Cup Finals, which will be held at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16.
Dionysius, the world number 26, is the reserve player in the Indonesian squad. The others are regulars Taufik Hidayat, Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.
He was selected ahead of Tommy Sugiarto and it could be due to his fighting performance against Chen Jin of China before bowing out 16-21, 21-19, 20-22 in the opening round of the All-England in Birmingham in March.
Tommy, who is son of the legendary Icuk, did not make the cut despite having had the experience of being the reserve in the squad at the last edition in Jakarta two years ago.
Choong Hann, who will play in the second singles for Malaysia, said that Dionysius had all the qualities needed to go far in the game.
“Having played so long, players like me can spot those with talent and I am convinced that there is something special about Dionysius. He is skilful and I have not seen one like him for some time,” said Choong Hann.
“He has a certain quality in him that sets him apart from several youngsters who have come through the pipeline in Indonesia.”
Besides Dionysius, Choong Hann also expects Japan’s Kenichi Tago, Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen and Shon Wan-ho of South Korea and China’s Chen Long to take over the mantle from the seasoned campaigners.
“Some of the senior players have been recalled to play for their respective countries in the Finals. But this does not mean the current youngsters are not good enough but they are just going through a transition process now,” he said.
“The 21-point rally scoring format has allowed players like me to stay longer than we ought to. But I am confident a new era of players is just waiting to take over.”
Taken from: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/5/2/sports/6175471&sec=sports
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