Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | 18:31 WIB

Shesar Hiren Rusthavito

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Heavy exercises in the fasting month

IO – Indonesian badminton men’s singles, Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, must choose his days of fasting in the month of Ramadan to suit his rigorous preparation and training for Spain Masters in Huelva, Spain, 18-23 May.

“Frankly speaking, my fasting has many holes. If I train hard, especially on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I do not fast. Usually, I fast on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, when the exercise program is not too heavy,” he said, in a virtual interview on Thursday, April 29.

“I am not surprised that we must continue to train hard during the fasting month; we must also be ready to compete around the Eid holidays. 

“It’s normal that players must be encouraged to train hard before competing in a tournament,” he said.

Vito, as he is called, is the mainstay in the 300-level tournament. “Even though I am the mainstay, it does not mean that my steps will be easy. The opponents at Spain Masters are tough,” he said.

In the first round, Vito will face his colleague from the same country, Ikhsan Maulana Mustofa. “Since the early stages, my opponents have been tough. Ihsan is one of the tough opponents,” he said.

Vito and Ikhsan are close friends. He’s been in touch with Ihsan. “We have to go all the way to Spain only to meet directly in the first half,” said Vito. “But never mind, we will see who wins”.

Another Indonesian men’s singles that will compete in Spain Masters is Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, Vito’s roommate at the Cipayung National Training Center. “There is no problem competing with roommates. All players will want to get the best results in every tournament,” he said.

Apart from the three men’s singles, Indonesia also send Ruselli Hartawan, Putri Kusuma Wardani, Nandini Putri Arumni (women’s singles), Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche, Yacob Rambitan, Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh. Reza Pahlevi Isfahani (men’s doubles), Yulfira Barkah/Febby Valencia Dwijayanti, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi, Nita Violina Marwah/Putri Syaikah.

The mixed doubles send the most representatives, namely, Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari, Akbar Bintang Cahyono/Winny Oktavina Kandow, Zachariah Josiahno Sumanti/Hediana Julimarbela, Muhammad Yusuf Maulana/Angelica Wiratama, Ghana Muhammad Al Ilham/Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani, and Dejan Ferdinansyah/Serena Kani.

Last year, Indonesia won a title at the 2020 Spain Masters through the women’s doubles pair Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu.

After going through the hard training, Vito feels that the preparation is solid. “The preparation is solid: I want to be a champion to increase my confidence when competing at a higher level,” said Vito.

Not only technical and physical preparation: the diet of Vito and the other players of the Indonesian Badminton Association at the National Training Center in Cipayung is also monitored and regulated by doctors and nutritionists.

“Our food intake is now regulated by a nutritionist; we can’t eat arbitrarily,” he said.

To compete abroad amid the pandemic, Vito and other badminton players must be more careful. Moreover, previously Indonesian badminton lovers were also disappointed that the country had to withdraw from All England because the players were in one plane with a passenger who was positive for Covid-19.

“Yes, we must be careful and always carry out Health protocols with high discipline. All players must take care of each other so that we all stay healthy and avoid Covid-19,” he explained.

Vito has a target to break the 10-15th rank of the Badminton World Federation. “I want to be stable in the 10-15th position. I am currently in the 19th position,” said the player from Djarum Badminton Club, who was born in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on March 3, 1994.

Spain Masters will be the fourth tournament that Vito will participate in this year. Previously, he had appeared in the two series 2021 Thailand Open and 2021 Swiss Open.

In the first tournament in Thailand, he lost in the second round to Chinese Taipei player Chou Tien Chen in a three-game match. In the second tournament, Vito had to give up on Denmark’s Hans Kristian Solberg Vittinghus through a three-game battle. At the Swiss Open, Vito lost in the quarter-finals to another Danish badminton player, Viktor Axelsen.

At Spain Masters, Vito will try to make his dream come true. Good luck in the Matador Country, Vito! 

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