OLYMPICS Mixed Final – Indonesia back in the limelight

Just before the clock struck midnight in Jakarta to mark the end of Indonesia’s Independence Day on the 17th of August, Tontowi Ahmad / Lilyana Natsir presented their country with the best gift any athletes could ever give – an Olympic gold medal.

By Serla Rusli. Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto (live)

The Indonesians beat Malaysian underdogs Chan Peng Soon / Goh Liu Ying, 21-14, 21-12. This was the second time the two pairs faced each other in Rio – Ahmad/Natsir also emerged victorious in their first encounter in the group stage just a couple of days earlier.

Perhaps it was the added confidence from their first victory, but the Indonesians were clearly the better pair in the gold-medal match. They displayed solid partnership – Natsir’s ever-so-impressive net play was complemented perfectly by Ahmad’s powerful back-court smashes.

The Malaysians were forced to follow the pace set by Indonesians. While Chan appeared somewhat subdued throughout the match, Goh’s deadly net play was their main, and possibly only, fighting chance. She stunned the Indonesians several times with her clever returns, but there was only so much she could do before she too completely succumbed under Ahmad/Natsir’s relentless attacks.

As the Indonesian duo inched closer to the title in the final game, they were unstoppable and left the Malaysians completely helpless under their pressure. The last rally ended three minutes before the Independence Day was over in Jakarta, and when Goh’s return was caught in the net, the whole Indonesian contingent roared in celebration for their first gold medal in Rio.

Three is the charm for Natsir

The Indonesians maintained a clean slate throughout the tournament, not dropping a single game against their opponents. Their biggest hurdle was against their arch nemesis and former Olympic champions Zhang Nan / Zhao Yunlei, whom they beat in the semi-final with surprising ease 21-16, 21-15.  Zhang/Zhao proceeded to win bronze in Rio, after defeating compatriots Xu Chen / Ma Jin in the bronze medal match.

This victory was particularly sweet for Natsir.  The Games in Rio are her third Olympics, but this gold medal comes at the end of a twelve-year wait for her, as she was paired with Nova Widianto just a few months after Athens and they worked their way up to world #1 only to have to settle for silver in 2008 Beijing Olympics when they lost to Koreans Lee Yong Dae / Lee Hyo-jung. In London four years ago, she and Ahmad slipped to fourth place, a somewhat underwhelming result considering their form at the time.

With this Olympic title, she finally adds the crowning glory to what was already an impressive collection of her major badminton titles. She was a three-time World Champion – twice with her previous partner Nova Widianto in 2005 and 2007 and once with Ahmad in 2013. She and Ahmad were also three-time All-England champions, in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

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