JONATAN CHRISTIE:INDONESIAN BADMINTON GOLD MEDALIST

By Tian Yuan

Gold medalist Jonatan Christie takes the podium at the Men’s Singles medal ceremony at the Asian Games on August 28, 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

After winning the Badminton Men’s Singles gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Jonatan Christie became the most popular sports star in Indonesia.Christie has made rapid progress over the last year. He is extremely popular with fans thanks to his handsome looks,perfect figure and razor-sharp skills. He looks so much like Taiwan actor and singer Kai Ko(Ko Chen-tung) that his Chinese fans nicknamed him “Kai Ko of Indonesia.”

“TO BE HONEST, I NEVER EXPECTED THIS,” HE TOLD JOURNALISTS AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER THE CEREMONY, “I THINK THIS IS A GIFT FROM GOD.”

Gift from God

The Badminton Men’s Singles at the 2018 Asian Games resulted in a world championship on his home soil.Twenty-year-old Christie never dreamed of winning a 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 victory over Chou Tien-Chen of Chinese Taipei to keep the Badminton Men’s Singles gold medal for Indonesia.

At the medal ceremony,Christie saluted the spectators who cheered him on. “To be honest, I never expected this,”he told journalists at the press conference after the ceremony,“I think this is a gift from God.”

Christie dedicated his gold medal to his family, who provided tremendous support for his professional career, to his coaches and supporting team and to the Indonesian people, including all his fans.

“Indonesian spectators are amazing,” gasped Christie.“Their loud cheering motivated me rather than making me nervous. At the start of the match, Chou Tien-Chen might have been a little nervous and tired, which could have been my advantage.”

Christie believes that largescale sports events like the Asian Games can make badminton a popular game for more people.“A lot of people didn’t care about badminton in the past,” he admitted. “Because of the Asian Games, they are developing an interest in the sport.”

Christie began learning to play badminton from his father in 2005. The extracurricular activity soon grew into a potential profession. “I simply did my best,” he revealed. “This victory proves that I could make it happen.”

“Leaving the podium felt like a new starting point,” Christie added. “I have to prepare for the next competition.” After the Asian Games, he rose to 15th in the world rankings ahead of events in Japan, China and South Korea.

At a charity auction in Indonesia, Christie’s championship jersey was auctioned for an unbelievable 400 million rupiah (US$2.85 million), all of which was donated to victims of the earthquake on Longmu Island,Indonesia. Meanwhile, Christie received an award equivalent to US$102,500 from the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports. He is planning to donate part of the award to earthquake victims as well.

Secret to Success

Top: Jonatan Christie (left) shakes hands with Chinese player Chen Long after their singles match during the finals of men’s team badminton at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 22, 2018.

Above: Christie (1st left) poses with badminton players from China, South Korea and Japan during a Sudirman Cup media opportunity at Surfers Paradise Beach in Gold Coast, Australia on May 23, 2017.

Christie knew that the Asian Games on his home soil would be tremendously important. He considers the 2018 Asian Games Indonesia’s largest-scale sports event in recent years, which was a big boost for the country’s economic, social and cultural progress. It also made Jakarta a more international city. Thanks to participation of top-notch players from China, Japan,South Korea and Indonesia,Christie likens this year’s Asian Games badminton competition to world championships or the Olympic Games.

“Badminton is quite popular in Indonesia,” said Jonatan. “I was told that all the tickets were sold out. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was at the stadium to watch the competition.Many Chinese fans traveled to Indonesia. This is what sports is all about!”

Asked the secret to success,Jonatan couldn’t say much other than dedication and practice. Training is an integral part of his daily routine,involving at least three hours of training in the morning and another three in the evening.“My 21st birthday is coming up,” he revealed. “This gold medal was the best gift I could have asked for. Of course, I would also like gold medals from the world championships and Olympic Games.” Christie hopes for such successes to show appreciation for the support of his fans in Indonesia and other countries.

A good mental state is also required to excel at badminton.In 2017, Christie defeated Lin Dan in China for the second time, when he was ranked 17th worldwide, 13 places behind Lin. At a press conference after the event, he revealed: “Before the competition, I shook hands with Lin Dan, and his hands were cold. I guess Olympic champions also get nervous.The key to my success today was the first set. If Lin had won the first, he would have been more confident. In the second set, he might not have been so anxious and made so many mistakes. Anyway, I’m very excited to have competed with him on his home soil. I’m not yet the best like Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei have been, but I would like to one day reach their ranks.”

ASKED THE SECRET TO SUCCESS, JONATAN COULDN’T SAY MUCH OTHER THAN DEDICATION AND PRACTICE.TRAINING IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF HIS DAILY ROUTINE,INVOLVING AT LEAST THREE HOURS OF TRAINING IN THE MORNING AND ANOTHER THREE IN THE EVENING.

China in Christie’s Eyes

Christie has competed in Chinese cities of Nanjing,Fuzhou and Kunshan. He considers China a great country with solid state governance and strong organization and mobilization capabilities.He was also moved by the patriotism of the Chinese people at world events such as the Olympic Games. “Something that impressed me a lot was when I was at the world championship in China, some Chinese fans recognized me and asked for a group photo,”Christie recalled. “I was moved by the great hospitality of people in a foreign country.”

As a high-profile star, Christie has signed a contract to endorse China’s OPPO smart phone. He sees the reputation of Chinese brands growing in Indonesia.For example, compared to Samsung and Apple, Chinese brands such as OPPO, VIVO,Xiaomi and Huawei are not inferior in core technology,but they are more competitive thanks to high quality at more affordable prices, which caters to the demands of Indonesia’s younger-generation consumers.Another example is the Chinese sports brand Li-Ning, which is popular with many badminton players. It also meets the demands of Indonesian consumers these days.

As a young athlete, Christie has strong interest in prospects of cooperation between Indonesia and China. He believes that since President Joko Widodo took office,Indonesia has made steady progress on a healthy path and that Indonesia-China cooperation has been mutually beneficial and fruitful. As an athlete, he is happy that the Indonesian government’s investment in sports has increased alongside support for athletes. To a large extent,that development is the result of learning from the experience gained by Chinese sports.

Christie also hopes that the two countries will conduct athlete exchanges for training,so that they can learn from each other, share experience and boost mutual trust and friendship between the two peoples. He thinks it is important to keep in mind that the friendly ties between Indonesia and China has been ongoing for hundreds of years.The strengthening of economic and social cooperation between Indonesia and China, especially between the young people on both sides, will help build a better Asia.

“I hope the youth of the two sides will be interested in each other’s culture,” explained Christie. “Mutual exchange of culture will consolidate the foundation for better relations between our two countries.”