5 facts about Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, the badminton pin-up boy serving for gold at Tokyo 2020 Olympics
When he won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, the 22-year-old sportsman whipped off his shirt – and a viral sensation was born, with 1.9 million Instagram fans and counting
Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, aka Jojo, is a badminton phenom and viral internet hit. He is an idol in his home country, and at only 22 is considered a prime candidate for gold in Tokyo 2020. “I keep in my mind that someday, I will make Indonesia proud,” says Christie.
This young man has been on the international stage since 2013, when he was 15 and won his first international senior title at the Indonesia International Challenge. He beat a far more experienced (and 11 years older) Alamsyah Yunus in the final. At the 2018 Asian Games, in his hometown of Jakarta, he won 21–18, 20–22, 21–15 over Chou Tien-chen, taking the badminton men’s singles gold medal for Indonesia. His team also won.
What else do we know about this rising regional sports star?
1. A future film star?
It was only a supporting role, but in 2009 Christie appeared in the film King about the legendary Indonesian badminton player Liem Swie King. The film, directed by Ari Sihasale, featured cameos by other badminton stars, including King himself, Hariyanto Arbi, Hastomo Arbi, Ellen Angelina, Ivana Lie, Rosiana Tendean, Maria Kristin Yulianti and Fransisca Ratnasari.
Content with his first calling, Christie has never considered a film career – yet. “Because my passion is to be a badminton player. I have my personal target in badminton. I can’t see myself being a movie star in the future,” he said. “I see myself as a successful badminton player in the future. I’ve actually received offers to play a role in a movie a couple of other times … but I refused, because that is not my passion.”
But he said that in 2014, while still a teenager, and things change quickly under the spotlight.
2. Christie’s swagger steals the show on the court
He is known for his smash – it’s powerful and dead-on. In fact he’s often compared to the man himself, Liem Swie King. Christie’s skills are nearly unmatchable right now, and they are accompanied by core strength and blinding speed; he’s known for his agility and a keen sense of the opponent’s next move.
“It’s not intentional,” he says of his tremendous ability to win. “It just happens. They are all talented players, and I’m fortunate to be able to play against them. I just want to enjoy this journey.”