What's the story?
Top Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo has been roped in by the Badminton Association of India under the suggestion of Pullela Gopichand to help in preparing the Indian shuttlers even better. Handoyo, who coached the legendary Taufik Hidayat to an Olympic gold, has been appointed to work with the singles players.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Handoyo said, "I am currently in India on a 3-year contract, and my role is to fasten the number of Indian players making the top 100. The goal is to also fasten the holistic process. I have had a word with Pullela (Gopichand) and we feel confident of the road ahead.”
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Handoyo started coaching in 1982 and had a memorable stint at Cipayung in Jakarta. Although he was with Singapore from 2001-04, he is still credited for all off Taufik's successes which include 2004 Olympics gold, 2006 Asiad gold and the World Championship.
The heart of the matter
Handoyo's influence on Hidayat was massive. Moreover, he is also credited with shaping and nourishing talent into consistent success. With India currently witnessing a burgeoning talent pool in both men's and women's badminton, it was the right time to look for an experienced hand.
The Indonesian brings with him years of knowledge of grooming young shuttlers. He believes in hard work and dedication and will certainly bring out the best from the young Indian shuttlers. The likes of HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma, Ruthvika Gadde would certainly look forward to work with Handoyo.
Gopichand has had to stretch to shepherd all the careers of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and others. And he had suggested to the Indian Association to look for a new coach. The appointment of Handoyo would mean that the Dronacharya award-winning national coach can share his workload.
Also read: Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu opt out of Asian Mixed Team Championships
What's next?
Handoyo will work with the singles players, both men and women, for the next three years. This means that he will be there during next year's Commonwealth and Asian Games, as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sportskeeda's take
Indian shuttlers have previously forged some great association with Indonesians. The experienced Atik Jauhari had helped in pushing the first batch at the Gopichand Academy, which included the likes of Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap, to the next level.
With Handoyo's appointment, along with Gopichand's presence, India’s simmering talent pool stands a chance to exert themselves even better at the biggest stage.
