KBRN, Yogyakarta: Men's singles shuttler Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah wanted to compete in the elite BWF Super Series tournament after being selected for the national training center (pelatnas) of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).
"I hope is that I can soon advance to the super series level and contribute to winning titles for Indonesia alongside my senior players," said the player, who is familiarly called Ubed, in an official statement of PBSI on Friday.
Ubed, born in Sampang, Madura, in 2007, was grateful for the trust he had received and was proud to be among the elite national badminton athletes.
"Alhamdulillah (thank God), I'm grateful to be part of the PBSI national training center, especially as a main player. I will learn much from my seniors, the world's top players," said Ubed as quoted by antaranews.com.
Ubed admitted that he has come a long way to reach this level. He started playing shuttler in kindergarten and participated in competitions at his school.
When he entered elementary school, Ubed began training at the Rahmat Shuttler Association (PB) in Pati, Central Java. After that, Ubed moved to several cities, including Gresik, Surabaya, and Klaten, to find a suitable club.
In late 2019, he successfully passed the trial to join PB Djarum Kudus.
Ubed was part of the Central Java team that won the gold medal in the men's team badminton event at the 21st National Sports Week (PON) in Aceh-North Sumatra in 2024.
Ubed admitted that being called to the national training center answered his long-held aspirations.
"I went through a long process. I thought and pondered, where do I want to go playing shuttler? If I don't get into the national team, then what? Especially after losing in the round of 16 at the National Selection in January. Alhamdulillah (thank God), at the end of this year, I was called up to the national training center," said Ubed.
Ubed won the silver medal in the men's singles event at PON. He also contributed to Indonesia's victory in the 2024 Suhandinata Cup for mixed teams at the BWF World Junior Championships in Nanchang, China.
"There's always room for improvement after every tournament, even when I win. I always see every tournament as an opportunity to prove myself as the best," he said.
As of December 15, Ubed is ranked 155th and 108th in the world tour rankings. Having entered the national training team, he hopes to continue climbing the rankings and join the ranks of the world's elite players. ***
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