I wanted to find a way to counter him (Cordon).Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian badminton player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting said he was "very grateful" for winning the bronze medal in the badminton men's singles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Monday.
"I am very grateful to God since this is my first Olympics,” Ginting was quoted as saying on the official website of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“Actually, I wanted to win the gold medal. However, the opponent was tough. Hence, I tried hard and focused on today's match. I am happy with my performance today and also the bronze medal,” he added.
He won the match against Kevin Cordon from Guatemala at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza. His medal was the second medal for Indonesia in badminton at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Ginting, ranked fifth in world badminton men’s singles, finished the match in 38 minutes, scoring 21-11 and 21-13.
He said he managed to defeat Cordon though it was his first match with the senior player thanks to the "right strategy" and observing his opponent's playing style from the previous match.
"I watched his last match against Viktor Axelsen. I wanted to find a way to counter him. I am relief that I can perform well today," he said.
The player said his two-week struggle in Tokyo finally paid off. He also admitted that he was very tired since he had focused all his physical and mental strength on the match.
He also commented on Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu's victory in the women's doubles.
"All their hard work has paid off. They are working very hard this year. I know it from the training they have gone through. They are truly an inspiration," he remarked.
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Translator: Roy Rosa Bachtiar, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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