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.'
What happened?
