UNS — Badminton Club PB Djarum has produced dozens of outstanding athletes in national and international arenas. One of them is Era Dzulzilati Malikul Mulki Walikromi, a former athlete of PB Djarum who is currently studying at the Sports Coaching Education Program (Penkepor), Faculty of Sports (FKOR) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta.
Era joined Djarum Kudus for three years, then moved to Djarum Jakarta for a year. Then, she decided to join PB Jaya Raya Jakarta when he was in the second grade of Senior High School (SMA).
On this occasion, uns.ac.id managed to interview the UNS Penkepor student. Era shared her experiences as a badminton athlete, especially when she joined the two big clubs, PB Djarum and Jaya Raya.
The Start of Her Journey in the World of Badminton
As the youngest sibling in her family, Era said that her interest in the world of badminton had been around since she was in Kindergarten (TK). Since childhood, Era’s father has introduced the sport. Moreover, his father wanted one of his children to become an athlete.
“My father loves sports, but his love for badminton is more prominent. He really wishes one of his children to be a badminton athlete. I have two other siblings, and my second older brother does not want to join any club because he does not like sports, so he focuses more on academics. However, my father said, ‘I want my children to become an athlete.’ Hence, from TK B, I have joined a badminton club,” said Era.
Era recounts her journey from a local club in Solo, namely PB Purnama. Thanks to Era’s achievements and talents, when she was in the 4th grade of Elementary School (SD), she was asked to move to the Pratama Education and Training Center in Surabaya. This has brought Era closer to one of the biggest badminton clubs in Indonesia, Djarum Kudus.
“When I was in Pratama, I beat my friend from Djarum, Aldika Fanisha. Then the coach was asked if I wanted to join Djarum or not. If you want, just register at the audition. The coach’s name is Mas Wahyu,” she added.
Passed the Djarum Kudus Audition
It is not easy to get a ticket to PB Djarum. Moreover, many of the club’s athletes have won many achievements at the international level. In fact, 11 athletes from PB Djarum managed to win Olympic medals. Olympic medal winners from Djarum Kudus include Alan Budikusuma (Barcelona Olympic gold 1992), Eddy Hartono, Gunawan, and Ardy B. Wiranata (Barcelona Olympic silver 1992), Antonius B. Ariantho and Denny Kantono (Bronze Atlanta Olympics 1996), Trikus Haryanto and Minarti Timur (Sydney 2000 Olympic silver), Maria Kristin Yulianti (2008 Beijing Olympic bronze), Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir (2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic gold).
All those achievements are one reason why PB Djarum is very strict, and only a few of the thousands of applicants are selected. Era successfully passed the PB Djarum General audition in 2012. In the initial stage, a total of 1,038 participants underwent a three-day test on 6-8 July 2012. Era and all other participants competed to show their badminton skills at GOR PB Djarum, Kudus, Central Java. At the end of the selection, 26 participants who passed quarantine were selected to undergo various further tests carried out by PB Djarum.
Then, after the quarantine, 15 participants were selected, marking the final stage. The fifteen participants consisted of seven girls and eight boys. One of them is Era.
“When I passed, it was clear that I was very happy because I was able to realize what my parents wanted. Moreover, there were so many participants, and only seven women and eight men were appointed,” said Era.
Era further explains that the current Djarum Scholarship auditions were different from how they used to be because the auditions are now spread across several cities in Indonesia.
“So, back then, all applicants were tested in Kudus. During the selection process, we were given limited time to play. Our play and techniques were monitored and observed by the coaches during this limited time,” she added.
Being a badminton athlete was Era’s choice. She had to give up her playtime, be away from her family, and divide her time between training and school.
“In Djarum, the training starts at dawn until 8 a.m., and this was the technical training. Then at 9, we must get ready to get on the school bus. The training will be resumed in the afternoon, at 2 or 3 until sunset. Therefore, all Djarum trainees went to the same school,” added the 21-year-old athlete.
Achievements
While joining the PB Djarum, Era has made many achievements. One of them is the winner of the Djarum National Circuit West Sumatra Open 2014 with Indah Cahya Sari Jamil in the women’s doubles number. Era/Indah managed to win through a rubber game battle from the first seed, Beverly Gabriella/Tsavane Bethalia from Exsit club. They won by 21-19, 13-21, and 21-10. At the 2014 East Java Open National Djarum Circuit, Era also managed to become a semifinalist with Indah. Era has won more than 40 championship titles during her career as an athlete until now. Humas UNS
Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti