Tokyo, Japan, August 2, 2021: Indonesia's women's doubles badminton team of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu upset the odds to beat China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan 21-19, 21-15 in 57 minutes to win Olympic gold on Monday.
It was Indonesia's first gold medal of Tokyo 2020 and added to their one silver and two bronze medals from weightlifting in the first week of the Games.
It was evident that something special was in the air at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza when Polii had to dash off court during a rally to grab a new racket after a string broke - and the pair still won the point after Rahayu fought the Chinese pair alone.
On winning the final point – made more tense by the Chinese pair challenging the call – Polii and Rahayu dissolved into tears falling to the floor.
They had just made history by winning the first medal in women's doubles badminton for Indonesia.
Indonesia now match China in winning Olympic medals in every badminton discipline at the Olympic Games - men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
"People said, ‘You're not going to make it because Indonesia doesn't have a history in women's doubles’,” said Polii, 33, whose Olympic dream began two decades ago.
"Here I am now."
Polii and Rahayu clutched each other after the win, crying while singing the national anthem underneath their masks as the Indonesian flag was hoisted.
Korea's world No. 5 pair Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong won the bronze medal match 21-10, 21-17 in 48 minutes against compatriots Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan in the first same-nation bronze medal playoff in badminton at an Olympic Games.
