TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jojo’s mojo
The all-Indonesian final in the men's badminton singles at the All England this past weekend, as well as clinching the doubles' title, could very well pave the way to Olympic gold.
Jonatan “Jojo” Christie lifts the All England Open Badminton Championships trophy on March 17, 2024 on the winner’s podium at Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, after winning the men's singles final against compatriot Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-14, 21-15. (AFP/Justin Tallis)
Lady Luck was definitely on Jonatan “Jojo” Christie’s side of the court in Birmingham.
One of Indonesia’s best shuttlers was under the weather at the beginning of 2024, struggling to stay among the world’s top 10 after several early upsets, including the Indonesia Masters and the French Open, where he was the defending champion.
At the All England Open, however, the 26-year-old Jojo was unstoppable. Following his victory against compatriot Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the final round, he restored Indonesia’s badminton glory in the men’s singles after a 30-year drought.
Hariyanto Arbi claimed the All England title for Indonesia back-to-back in 1993 and 1994, when legendary shuttler Susi Susanti did the same in the women’s singles.
Indonesia was unable to come up with a winning formula to retain these titles after 1994, most of which were claimed by Chinese shuttlers – until Jonatan spun his magic and turned a new page.
The all-Indonesian final last Sunday gave new hope to our men’s singles shuttlers that the odds of winning are always there.
Jonatan ranked No. 9 in the world before heading to Birmingham, but entered the oldest badminton tournament unseeded. Unbothered by his two previous showings when he didn’t even reach the quarterfinals, Jonatan persisted and persevered to bring home the trophy.
With seven championships titles under his belt, Jonatan started his All England journey with a solid 21-4, 21-15 win against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen. In the second round, the newlywed Jonatan (he married ex-JKT48 band member Shanju Junianatha late last year) defeated Thailand’s eighth-seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn in a rubber, 21-19, 18-21, 21-13, to secure a quarterfinal spot.
Jonatan was on fire in the quarterfinals, outwitting second-seed Shi Yuqi of China, who decided to retire in the second game when Jonatan was leading 21-12. And in the semifinals, Jonatan beat India’s Lakshya Sen 21-12, 12-21, 21-15 to advance to the final.
Meanwhile, fifth-seed Anthony was fighting his own battle through the rounds, reaching the final after upsetting first-seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 8-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a tight semifinal showdown.
In the finals, Anthony took the upper hand with 6-4 against his senior Jonatan after starting out 0-2. But Jonatan seemed to have retained his confidence from his previous matches, winning five consecutive points in the first set and six straight points in the second before wrapping up the final in 50 minutes with 21-14, 21-15.
The 2024 All England crown is Jonatan’s first triumph in a Super 1000, the highest level in the Badminton World Federation’s annual calendar, and brought home US$91,000 from a total prize pool of $1.3 million. His win also elevated his world ranking four spots to No. 5.
Our shuttlers deserve huge kudos for their overall achievements in the All England Open 2024.
Apart from singles champion Jonatan and runner-up Anthony, seventh-seeded pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto continued Indonesia’s winning streak in the men’s doubles by defeating fifth-seeded Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia 21-16, 21-16.
Bagging these titles means Indonesia has collected more points on the road to this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, which opens on July 26.
The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) is certainly shouldering the weighty responsibility of pushing and maintaining our shuttlers’ performances in future competitions, including the Thomas and Uber cups, to qualify for Paris 2024.
And if all badminton stakeholders do what needs doing, it could be that our shuttlers will extend Indonesia's golden Olympic streak this year.
