Indonesia's big medal hopes for Tokyo Olympics in badminton and beyond

It'll be all eyes on Jonatan Christie, Anthony Ginting, and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung on the badminton court, but Indonesia could do damage elsewhere in Tokyo too.

9 minBy Ken Browne
Gold medallist Jonatan Christie of Indonesia and bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia celebrate with their medals during the medals ceremony. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Indonesia's golden badminton legacy at the Olympics could be set to continue at the Tokyo Games with stars like Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting ready to shine.

The nation has won seven Olympic gold medals and all seven have come on the badminton court.

This remarkable record stretches back to when badminton first appeared at the Olympics at Barcelona 1992 when power couple Alan Budi Kusama and Susi Susanti won the men's and women's singles titles.

Indonesia has produced timeless talents like Kusama, Susanti, and Athens 2004 gold medallist Taufik Hidayat, and now a new generation is ready to step up.

Olympic badminton winners become instant national icons back home, but Indonesian athletes can succeed off the badminton court too.

19 of 32 Olympic medals have come in badminton, but weightlifting is a strong discipline too. Indonesian heavy lifters have collected six silver and six bronze medals, while archery is the only other sport that has seen Indonesia win an Olympic medal.

With Tokyo 2020 just days away, here are the athletes most likely to become Indonesian national heroes at the Tokyo Games.

1. Anthony Ginting

Despite Indonesia's early dominance in Olympic badminton - the men swept the singles podium in Barcelona with Alan Budi Kusuma (gold), Ardy Wiranata (silver) and Hermawan Susanto (bronze) - they haven't won men's singles gold since Taufik Hidayat sent the country wild at Athens 2004.

China's Lin Dan and Chen Long with Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei have dominated the last three Games but with Lin and Lee both retired only Chen remains of that trio, and Ginting is currently one place above him in fifth on the BWF world rankings.

While competition will be fierce with World No.1 Momota Kento locked in on winning gold at his home Games, Malaysian sensation Lee Zi Jia out to upend the world order and the likes of Danish duo Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen, and Chou Tien-Chen pushing hard, it's impossible to call the men's winner in Tokyo.

But Ginting will be in the mix. At 24 he has both youth and experience on his side and has proven that on his day he's a match for anyone in the world.

"I think if I manage to win an Olympic medal, especially gold, for sure it will mean a lot." - Ginting told Olympics.com, also saying that the weight of expectation doesn't affect him:

"I'm also used to the pressure because of my experience playing in other tournaments where the nation looks to me for victory. I've felt it before and I am used to it," he said.

When it comes to crunch time, Ginting will feel the support from home, an entire nation almost 300 million strong willing him to victory.

2. Jonatan Christie

The other half of Indonesia's double-threat for badminton men's singles gold, superstar shuttler Jonatan Christie is just as keen to take up the mantle from Taufik Hidayat.

Christie has been around for a while winning his first senior title at the age of 15, and now at 23 he's ranked No.7 in the world.

Gifted with the typical artistry that passes from generation to generation of Indonesian masters, Christie has risen alongside his friend and teammate Ginting.

"Jonatan and I, we are both chasing the same objective," Ginting said recently, "we both want to become a top player."

They're also after the same objective at Tokyo 2020, and Christie could be the one to rise to the top, taking an entire nation with him on the ride.

3. Gregoria Mariska Tunjung: Dark horse?

On the women's singles side, Indonesia hasn't celebrated gold since Susanti at Barcelona 1992 and 21-year-old Gregoria Mariska Tunjung could be the team's surprise package in Tokyo.

Mariska, once ranked 13 in the world (Now 22) is ready to represent her country's colours in Japan.

Indonesia has claimed at least one badminton medal at every Olympic Games since 1992 apart from London 2012, and this young talent looks like she has what it takes to shock some established stars in the Japanese capital.

After reigning champion Carolina Marin was forced to pull out of the Tokyo Games due to injury the women's singles competition was thrown wide open.

The young Indonesian challenger will arrive in Tokyo under no pressure and can go and enjoy her first Olympics, with her first task to convince herself that she deserves to be there among the world's elite.

"My mind was racing, crashing," she communicated in a written statement on Friday 2 July after her Olympic spot was confirmed.

"On the one hand I'm happy to be able to appear in the Olympics, but on the other hand I wonder, am I worthy to play there?"

(2019 Getty Images)

"Performing in an event as big as the Olympics with opponents who already have big names and achievements, made me feel that I had not been able to compete, especially with my last tournament results which were less than satisfactory," she continued.

But with extra training, improvements in her diet, and the help of a sports psychologist, Mariska feels ready to take on the world.

"Now I'm more free and ready to face it because I think if I squander the opportunity this year, I don't necessarily have another chance in 2024."

4. Double trouble

Indonesia has a strong tradition in the doubles game too, at Rio 2016 mixed doubles winners Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir won their Olympic contingent's only gold medal and hopes are high in Tokyo with a number of top pairings.

Women's duo Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu are more than capable of causing an upset in Tokyo, and the men's pairing of Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo are a much-loved double act back home.

They're known as 'The Minions' for their stature and all-action game, jumping, smashing, entertaining their way to victory.

They carry a weight of golden expectations into Tokyo but know how to handle it.

Then there are the men's veterans Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan who are also in the mix. Setiawan claimed gold at Beijing 2008 with former partner Markis Kido, and what a story it would be to see him on an Olympic podium once more 13 years later in Tokyo.

5. Lalu Zohri - On track to make history

Of course, there's much more to Indonesian sport than just badminton.

The most exciting talent to emerge in track and field in this Olympic cycle, and maybe ever, is Lalu Zohri whose 100m victory at the under-20 Worlds in Tampere, Finland, in 2018 announced his potential to the entire planet.

Now three years later and 21 years old, it hasn't been an easy ride for Zohri who has seen his training cut short and preparations seriously disrupted by the pandemic.

Clocking 10.18 in Tampere, Zohri's meteoric rise continued, he went 10.13 at the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships - the fastest Indonesian 100m ever - then in May 2019 came within three tenths of a second of matching Justin Gatlin at the 2019 Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, Zohri stopping the clock at 10.03s.

Breaking the 10s barrier looked a matter of time until COVID-19 swept through Indonesia and all athletes were sent home from the Olympic training centre in Jakarta.

No-one is under any doubt that Zohri is up against it to make the podium in Tokyo but he's no stranger to adversity, before that 2018 win, Zohri couldn't afford running shoes, trained barefoot, and had to borrow the money from his sister to buy a pair of spikes to compete in.

He comes from the West Nusa Tenggara region where for many people food can be scarce and opportunities even scarcer.

To get to where he is from where he came from is a near-impossible story, and while Indonesia has never won an athletics medal at the Olympics, Zohri could be the first.

6. Irawan and weightlifters gear up for the big one

Apart from badminton, weightlifting has always been solid ground for Indonesian Olympians.

12 of the nation's 32 Olympic medals have come in lifting and the team is ready to bring it home once more, led by Eko Yuli Irawan who is getting ready for a fourth straight Olympics.

He's medalled at the last three: Bronze at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, silver at Rio 2016 after that unforgettable duel with Colombia's Oscar Figueroa in the men's -62kg category.

Indonesia's national hero will be 32 in Tokyo and could add that elusive gold medal to complete his own personal set of precious Olympic metal, and in the process claim the country's first ever non-badminton gold.

He's not alone on that quest though. Five Indonesian heavy-metallers are on their way to Japan, among them Deni (-67kg) and Nurul Akmal in the (+87kg) who are both in the top eight in the world in their categories.

Keep an eye too on teenage prodigy Windy Cantika Aisah who won the 49kg title at the 2021 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

7. Making waves: More sports, more hopes

Indonesia's Rio Waida has already made history by becoming the first Indonesian to qualify for surfing's big Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Born next to the beach in Uluwatu, Bali, Waida is a Southeast Asian Games silver medallist lighting the way for future surfers Tokyo.

In shooting Indonesia also has a talented young star on the rise in Vidya Rafika, she topped the podium twice at the SEA Games in 2019 and became the first shooter in Indonesian colours to qualify for Tokyo.

Archery is the only other sport outside badminton and weightlifting that Indonesia has celebrated an Olympic podium and has hopes in the men's individual and team events with Arif Pangestu, Alviyanto Bagas Prastyadi and Riau Salsabilla all qualified.

Meanwhile Diananda Choirunisa will represent in the women's individual and mixed team events.

Elsewhere Aflah Fadlan Prawira will contest the men's 400m and 1500m freestyle swimming events, and Azzahra Permatahani the women's 200m individual medley.

And there'll be an Indonesian interest in rowing too with Melani Putri and Mutiara Rahma Putri pulling hard for a podium in the women's lightweight double sculls.

Plenty for 'Tanah Air' sports fans to look forward to when the Olympians light it up on July 23.

Ayo Indonesia!

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