HYDERABAD: Liem Swie King and Lin Dan are perhaps the hardest hitters of the game, opines Luis Pongoh, one of the leading badminton players of the world in the eighties. The former world No.5 said it was difficult to pick who among the two was the harder hitter. “Though they belonged to different eras, their deadly smashes were of a class by itself,” said Pongoh, who has come as manager of the Indonesian team.
Short and diminutive, Pongoh feels that the game has improved by leaps and bounds. The Indonesian has a word of praise for Prakash Padukone.
“Prakash was one of the brilliant players I have ever seen. He could change his tactics as and when it mattered. With him one could never be sure what to expect next,” he said.
Pongoh had, however, had the distinction of beating Padukone once. “I am of the view that Prakash, Modi and Gopi Chand are the best players India has ever produced. I would say that Prakash and Modi were almost the same in terms of talent and skills. But then while Modi was a bit slow and not willing to push himself, Prakash had something extra to work hard and achieve the results.” Pongoh added he had been a regular visitor to this country. .
“I have come and played tournaments in Kochi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. I have played against the likes of Uday Pawar, Vimal Kumar frequently,” he said.
On his moment of glory, Pongoh said that it was his victory over Liem Swie King in the final of the Indonesian Open in 1984.
“That was my first and last win over Liew Swie. Of course, to be honest he was well past his prime,” he said.