from The Electric New Paper
Fed up with rumuors, Ronald Susilo says:
Stop this
NONSENSE
National shuttler and table tennis star
splitting up?
By Kor Kian Beng, 18 October 2006
BEMUSED, puzzled, then fed up.
That was what national badminton player Ronald Susilo felt after he
read a news report yesterday morning about his rumoured split with
fiancee Li Jiawei.
'I just had a good laugh about it,' Ronald told The New Paper over
the phone last night.
He said he was then bewildered at the report in Today newspaper,
which wrote that he and Jiawei - arguably Singapore's most famous
sporting couple - 'have split, according to the sports
grapevine'.
The report cited an unnamed official from the Singapore Badminton
Association (SBA) as saying that the association is worried of the
relationship's impact on Ronald's performance on court.
When contacted, SBA's acting chief executive, Ms Jacqueline Lim
declined comment, saying 'this is a personal matter between
them'.
And to the rumour-mongers, Ronald, 27, has this to say: 'I hope
they will stop their nonsense.'
But surely, there is no smoke without some fire?
Ronald said that 'maybe people are just jealous' of him and Jiawei,
a national table tennis player.
He added: 'After all, there has not been much news on us since
2004.'
Ronald, the 2004 Sportsman of the Year, insisted that he will not
let himself be affected by his relationship or by such
rumours.
He shrugged off the report and attended a national training session
yesterday afternoon.
A member of the training staff told The New Paper that Ronald was
his usual self during the session and didn't seem bothered by the
report at all.
The national shuttler has just returned to Singapore after losing
to Taufik Hidayat in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open.
However, Ronald said he was fed up because the report started a
deluge of phone calls from friends, asking about the reported
split.
He said he contacted Jiawei, 25, who is in China preparing for the
Doha Asian games, by phone on Sunday night.
What was her response?
Ronald said: 'She told me not to be bothered by it.'
Jiawei, 25, herself told The Straits Times yesterday: 'I'm okay and
so is Ronald...
'I want to thank everyone for their concern. But I don't feel a
need to discuss my personal matters.'
One source close to the couple told The New Paper that she believes
the report is unfounded.
She said she last met Ronald on 8 Oct for lunch and 'he definitely
didn't behave like someone who has just broken up'.
She also added that she had dinner with the couple one month ago
and they didn't show any signs of relationship problems.
The source said: 'Of course, they have had minor quarrels before,
which is nothing different from other couples.'
She added that she is not surprised that such rumours have
surfaced.
Another factor was that the couple now have less time for each
other because they have been travelling frequently for training
stints and competitions.
Asked about this, Ronald said: 'It's not really a problem. We make
an effort to keep in touch through SMSes and phone calls.'
Ronald first met Jiawei in May 2002 at the Second Link in Tuas
during the Singapore leg of the baton relay for the 2002 Manchester
Commonwealth Games.
Love blossomed after they returned from the competition.
In 2004, the couple captured Singaporeans' imagination and shot to
fame with their efforts at the Athens Olympics.
Ronald defeated China's world No 1 Lin Dan before he lost in the
badminton singles quarter-final, while Jiawei lost in the table
tennis singles semi-finals and then the bronze-medal
play-off.
Ronald proposed to Jiawei after she returned from the Games one
week after him.
The couple have reportedly bought an apartment in Kembangan.
Ronald confirmed that he will be moving in soon, but Jiawei will be
staying put at her current residence because it's nearer to where
she trains.
But since then, there have been no news of wedding plans.
Ronald said they have not set a wedding date because both are
focusing on their careers, especially on the coming Doha Asian
Games.
But to set the record straight, he said: 'Everything is fine
between us. We are very much in love.'
