Flandi will never forget his Olympic lesson in humility

During his playing days, national men’s doubles head coach Flandi Limpele can boast a fine track record against Malaysian rivals.

The 46-year-old Indonesian, who formed a world No. 1 partnership with Eng Hian in the early 2000s, had consistently beaten Malaysian top pairs such as Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng.

However, Flandi admitted it was also due to overconfidence that they were made to pay a heavy price.

Flandi revealed he still remembers vividly how he and Eng Hian were brought down to earth by Tan FookWan Wah at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Flandi-Eng Hian went into the Games as the third seeds and one of the pairs fancied to claim the gold medal.

But Flandi-Eng Hian were bundled out by fifth seeds Tan Fook-Wan Wah in the last eight – losing 10-15, 9-15 for the first time in five meetings.

“I don’t think there’s any Malaysian pairs Eng Hian and I had not beaten back then,” recalled Flandi.

“We had played against the likes of Tan Fook, Wan Wah, Chong Ming, Choon Eng right up to (Koo) Kien Keat. We had a pretty solid record against them.

“It’s our compatriots whom we regard as our serious opponents – not the Malaysians.

“But we didn’t foresee that unforgettable defeat to Tan Fook-Wan Wah at the Sydney Olympics.

“We’re so confident of continuing our unbeaten record against them, but it backfired on us.

“We paid the price for underestimating them. It could be also due to immense pressure to win the gold, which we had a good chance of doing, based on our form that year.”

Flandi-Eng Hian made amends four years later in the Athens Games by capturing the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, Flandi said he has settled in well since joining the Badminton Association of Malaysia in July.

“It’s been good so far. My family has also relocated here,” he said.

Flandi is aware of the high expectations from the Malaysian fans. They will be hoping for him to produce the same magic as compatriot Rexy Mainaky.

Under Rexy’s tutelage, Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong had won the 2006 Doha Asian Games gold and 2007 AllEngland before going on to become the world No. 1.

“For now, I’m not going to set any target yet.

“There are no tournaments now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so it’s going to be very difficult to gauge the players’ performance,” said Flandi.

“I can only continue to work hard on developing the players to be ready when the tournaments return.”