From the beginning, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Lisa Ayu Kusumawati, the 1st seed, was predicted to win. However, it turned out that the victory didn’t come so easily for the Indonesian pair. Malaysian mixed doubles Roy King Yap (#76)/Cheng Su Yin (#891) gave their best fight and managed to stretched the world’s number 10 pair to a rubber game. After losing the first game, Kusuharjanto/Kusumawati turned the table in the second and third game and snatched the gold medal after defeating Yap/Cheng 20-22, 21-8, 21-16 – the first gold for Indonesia in the badminton individual event.
The finals of the SEA Games 2023 then followed by an all-Indonesian women’s doubles finals that had Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi, seeded 1st and ranked 13th, against Meilysa Trias Puspita Sari/Rachel Allessya Rose, the 2nd seed and ranked 44th in the world. Kusuma/Pratiwi won another gold medal for Indonesia after defeating their compatriot in a straight game 21-17, 21-16.
The women’s singles and the men’s singles finals interestingly had the 2nd seed defeating the 1st seed. Thailand already secured one gold medal by having their two players competiting in the finals of women’s singles. Supanida Katethong, the 2nd seed, defeated Lalinrat Chaiwand, the 1st seed in a straight game 21-12, 21-14.
An unexpected yet not-so-surprising victory happened in the men’s singles finals that had Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, the first seed, against Christian Adinata, the second seed, who both are Indonesian players. Adinata eventually won over Wardoyo after a rubber game, decorated with fantastic shots, 21-12, 18-21, 21-18.
The last match in the finals had Peeratchai Sukphun/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul from Thailand who made a surprise in the semifinal by defeating All England champion Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana. The Thai pair faced Indonesian men’s doubles Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Rambitan which ended with the final gold medal for Indonesia. Kusumawardana/Rambitan defeated Sukphun/Teeraratsakul in a straight game 21-17, 21-19.
The last time Indonesia won 4 gold medals at the SEA Games individual event was in 2011, when it was hosted in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia. This year’s big win doubled the amount of gold medals that Indonesia won in the previous two editions of the SEA Games individual event, and it might signal an increase of power in Indonesian badminton.
