There is always a natural changing of the guard as athletes announce their retirement to coincide with the Olympiad cycle.
However, with the announcement from @kevinsanjaya that he is ending his playing career, I can’t help but feel huge sadness that we will never again witness one of the most dynamic, exciting, and extraordinary players I have ever had the pleasure to watch.
How do you describe or encapsulate the capabilities of a player, the like of whom the world of badminton had never seen before – it’s not easy, but let me try: -
⏺️ His anticipation was exceptional.
⏺️ That anticipation, coupled with lightning-fast reactions meant he took front court play to a whole new level.
⏺️ He was extravagant, and at times outrageous, in his shot selection.
⏺️ He had a repertoire of shots, such as the round the head interception, or crouched defence, which were unique to him.
⏺️ He was athletic and agile in his movement.
⏺️ He was unpredictable, making moves and playing shots that were totally unexpected – shots that most other players wouldn’t have even thought of playing, let alone able to execute.
⏺️ He was flamboyant and oozed confidence.
⏺️ His style of play is already legendary.
⏺️ At his brilliant best he was simply sensational, a class above the rest and totally dominant.
To put it simply, he was: -
🇫 Flamboyant
🇦 Athletic
🇧 Brilliant
🇺 Unique
🇱 Legendary
🇴 Outrageous
🇺 Unpredictable
🇸 Sensational
In other words, he was a FABULOUS player who was simply FABULOUS to watch!
(Apologies if this FABULOUS acronym gets completely lost in translation to other languages 🤨😂).
But as I’ve said previously, let’s never forget the reason Kevin had the freedom to play his cavalier style was due to Gideon’s @Marcusfernaldi unrelenting willingness to cover the gaps and work hard from the back of the court.
My goodness, how we’ll miss the exuberance and flare of the #Minions.
All good wishes for the future Kevin. Happy retirement.
#GillsFunFacts
📷@badmintonphoto
#Badminton
Appreciation Tweet for Kevin Sanjaya & Marcus Gideon
Total 226 pekan sebagai WR 1.
214 pekan beruntun di singgasana tertinggi.
Kini kita berada disaat saat akhir Minions sebagai WR 1.
Posisinya akan beralih ke Hoki/Kobayashi.
Pasangan fenomenal dgn talenta dan mentalitas juara.
@adetb@ernasusil_@BWFScore Maaf tadi emang Kevin banyak eror tapi dia juga banyak dapet poin dari permainan depan ko, jangan ngeliat dari eror nya aja yuk Minions juga baru hari ini main jadi masih penyesuaian 😊
@BadmintonTalk Jika minions bisa menang besok di laga final, history akan tercipta, kevin 5x beruntun menjuarai IM (pas pertama juara blm sama koh sinyo), koh sinyo pun juga 5x (pas pertama belum sama mpin), koreksi kalau salah🙏
Salah satu komentar ketua fanbase minions nih : Oma Gill haha😊🔥