Indonesia Takes Gold in Women's Badminton at Tokyo Olympics

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia's unseeded duo of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu made history in the badminton Olympic after defeating the overwhelmingly favored Chinese pair of Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan in straight sets 21-19, 21-15 to win the women's doubles final of the Tokyo Games on Monday.

It is the first time Indonesia, a nation traditionally strong in badminton, struck gold in the women's doubles at an Olympics.

Emotions ran high throughout the match, with both sides screaming for points. At one point, Polii broke her racket in frustration, got a new one, and returned to help Indonesia win the point.

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The match ended on a boundary review, with Polii and Rahayu elating when the shuttlecock was ruled out.

The result extends China's struggles in women's doubles. The Chinese had dominated the badminton draw, winning five straight Olympics from 1996 to 2012. Monday's result comes after China failed to medal in the event at the 2016 Rio Games.