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Indonesian badminton players eye Olympics after recent wins
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Indonesia's Jonatan Christie returns the shuttlecock to Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting on March 17, 2024, during the Men's Singles Final at the All England Open Badminton Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, central England. (AFP/Justin Tallis)
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ndonesia hopes to regain its badminton glory at the 2024 Paris Olympics following a big win at the All England Open in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, which ended a streak of disappointing results in its world tour.
The country managed to retain their men’s doubles title at the prestigious championship on Mar. 17 after the Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto pair beat Malaysia in the final. Indonesia also won gold for the men’s singles in an all-Indonesian final that saw Jonatan “Jojo” Christie beat compatriot Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
The last time the country saw an all-Indonesian final at the All England Open was 30 years ago when Hariyanto Arbi defeated Ardy Bernardus Wiranata in 1994.
These results have been hailed by badminton fans as a return to form for a nation that excels in Badminton and has long dominated major championships, including the Olympics.
Indonesia has seen poor showings in the past year, in what many badminton fans called a “decrease in quality”. Indonesia for the first time ever failed to win any medals at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last year.
The streak of poor performance continued into this year as Indonesia came home empty-handed from the Malaysia Open, the India Open and the French Open, all major championships deemed important to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Ray of hope
