Olympic hero Hidayat to bow out in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Indonesia's former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat will this week bring down the curtain on a colourful career which made him one of badminton's biggest stars and an icon in his home country.

The 31-year-old will receive a rapturous and emotional send-off at the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, a tournament he has won six times with his distinctive, languid style which makes the fast-paced sport seem effortless.

However, Hidayat's chances of bowing out with a seventh win are low, with no major titles to his name in recent years and facing a tough field that includes the world number one and two, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long of China.

And fans who had been hoping for one last showdown between Hidayat and his arch-rival Lin Dan were left disappointed after the Chinese star pulled out last week, saying he wanted to focus on the world championships in August.

Hidayat -- who famously wept at Athens 2004 as he was awarded Indonesia's first Olympic gold medal -- said he hoped spectators would support him "all the way, whatever the result is". He will start against a qualifier on Wednesday.

But the 2005 world champion is giving little away about his retirement plans, telling AFP: "I will remain focused on helping develop badminton, but the details are still secret."(AFP)