Natsir Inducted into Hall of Fame at Iconic Venue
Badminton icon Liliyana Natsir was inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame at the venue beloved of all Indonesian fans – Stadium Istora.
· DEV SUKUMAR
This was where she won four Indonesia Open titles, and where she retired. But there had been heartbreak too – this was where, playing the World Championships 2015 semifinal and flying high against Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, the Indonesians blew two match points in the second game and then went into a tailspin.
It was eventually the Olympic gold at Rio 2016 that helped her come to terms with the loss.
And so it was Istora again, to receive the ultimate accolade a badminton player can aspire for. Natsir walked into a warm reception by fans chanting her name. A short video of her accomplishments was played and she received a pin and certificate from BWF Deputy Chair – Marketing Committee, Bambang Roedyanto.