When Sugiarto Sukamuljo realized he was about to have a second son, the only name he could think of was a name inspired by Kevin McCallister, the main character from the Hollywood movie Home Alone.

Sugiarto’s son Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo is Indonesia’s latest All England badminton champion, after he nailed the title with partner Marcus Fernaldi Gideon on March 12. The prestigious Birmingham event is world’s oldest badminton tournament.

The All England victory makes Kevin and Marcus the world number one pair in men’s doubles.

“The name Kevin was on my mind for a long time as I was impressed with the kid’s wits and bravery. I too wanted my son to have similar qualities,” Sugiarto said.

The universe seemed to hear Sugiarto’s prayers.

The 21-year-old shuttler has grown into a person with the qualities that Sugiarto wished for. In matches, Kevin displays his merciless side when facing opponents.

Kevin’s interest in badminton started as soon as he saw his father playing the sport in the family’s backyard badminton court during his childhood.

At that time, Sugiarto was surprised by his son’s ability to learn fast-hitting skills, he recalled.

“I had a good feeling that Kevin could become a good player if he had the chance. Therefore, after consulting with a local trainer, who also saw Kevin’s talent, I encouraged him to enroll in the PB Djarum [a badminton club],” he said.

Accompanied by Sugiarto, Kevin tried to enroll in Djarum in 2006 but failed in the audition.

“I had made up my mind to be a good shuttler. I believed that joining the club would pave the way,” said Kevin, who with Marcus has won three other super series titles: 2016’s India Open, Australian Open and China Open.

Failing at the first shot didn’t shut him down. Through another audition, Kevin eventually got himself admitted into Djarum in 2007.

In 2013, Kevin started to join Indonesia’s badminton training camp and remains a national shuttler.

While training at the club, Kevin was under Ade Lukas’s mentorship, where he pursued his ambition through hours of rigorous training.

Ade remembered Kevin as a full-spirited young player who knew the consequences of his dreams and was more than willing to embrace them.

“He never gives up. He was willing to give up his young and playful life and trade them for hundreds of hours of training with us at the club. I don’t recall him ever having called in sick unless he was in a really sick condition,” Ade said.

Ade also remembered Kevin for his ability to learn quickly, especially from past mistakes and to put them behind him once he faced new challenges.

Regardless, Ferry, Kevin’s other coach at the club, advised the shuttler to control his emotions while in matches to be able to win the bout.

Kevin’s hard work has started to pay off.

Kevin and Marcus, who are set to follow the path of Olympic gold medalist pair Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, gained recognition from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo through his congratulatory remarks, which led to Rp 250 million in bonuses from the Youth and Sports Ministry.

The Djarum club and the sponsor BliBli.com put the icing on the cake with another Rp 250 million bonus.

Asked about his plans for the cash, Kevin said all he could think of was to make investments out of it.

“There is still a long road ahead for me. Investing the money is a good choice,” said Kevin, who opts to play soccer with fellow shuttlers when boredom with badminton strikes.

Winning the All England competition is definitely not the end for Kevin.

Kevin plans to collect more victories at the upcoming Kuala Lumpur Southeast Games, Indonesia’s 2018 Asian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I need to carefully prepare myself, which takes a step-by-step approach. Wish me luck on fulfilling my dreams,” he said.

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