Jakarta: Indonesia’s World No. 2 men’s doubles player, Mohammad Ahsan, said that this year’s Ramadan is tougher than last year because he has to both fast and train at the same time.
Ahsan, together with Hendra Setiawan, had actually secured the tickets to the Tokyo Olympics that will be held in Japan from July 23 to August 8. They are currently ranked second in the men’s doubles category of the Race to Tokyo rankings.
The 33-year-old who was born in Palembang, Indonesia, said that he was able to undergo full fasting during last Ramadan because there was no tournament as the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has either postponed or canceled all tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, all matches were canceled, so the training was very light and only to maintain my fitness conditions during fasting,” said Ahsan.
However, currently, he has been training with strong intensity from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and then an hour and a half in the afternoon.
“Now (training) is normal, morning and evening … It’s hard, but I will try to keep fasting,” added Ahsan.
The three-time world champion hoped that he could maintain a full month of fasting in this year’s Ramadan and also remain healthy.
Although Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan have technically qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, they will still compete at two qualifiers, namely the Malaysia Open Super 750 event from May 25 to May 30 and the Singapore Open Super 500 from June 1 to June 6.
After sunset, Ahsan breaks his fast with a meal that consists of high protein foods and vitamins.
