WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 20 Hosts excel in badminton Christie, ‘Minions’ send Indonesia into raptures ‘Idol’ Liu Xiang inspires• China’s ninth straight hurdles win I did not expect that I can win a Sarah Lee bags gold at the Asian women’s• keirin gold Games. Actually there are a lot AFP | Jakarta of good players here and I never ndonesia’s Jonatan Chris- expected that I tie stunned Taiwan’s Chou could come out as ITien-chen for Asian Games a winner badminton gold as a home pair JONATAN CHRISTIE affectionately dubbed the “Min- ions” won the men’s doubles at a rocking Jakarta arena yesterday. Christie sent the home crowd into raptures as he upset Tai- wan’s sixth-ranked Chou Tien- chen 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 to be- come Indonesia’s first men’s singles champion since 2006, before ripping off his shirt in celebration. The 20-year-old’s surprise win capped a memorable run for In- donesia’s men after Anthony Sinisuka Ginting knocked out world champion Kento Momo- ta and Olympic gold-medallist Chen Long en route to bronze. Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, nick- named the “Minions” owing to their stature, rounded off the party as they won an all-Indo- Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie hits a return against Taiwan’s Chou Tienchen in their men’s singles final badminton match nesian final against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto 13-21, 21-18, 24-22. Medal list In a celebratory atmosphere at the badminton stadium, Sukam- Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total uljo and Gideon collapsed to the floor as their opponents’ final 1 China 97 64 45 206 shot went wide to settle a tense 2 Japan 43 38 61 142 final game. 3 South Korea 32 40 46 118 Once-dominant China failed 4 Indonesia 24 19 29 72 to win a singles badminton med- 5 IR Iran 17 16 16 49 al for the first time in 38 years, 6 Taipei 13 14 20 47 7 North Korea 12 8 7 27 but otherwise it was another 8 India 9 19 22 50 productive day for the Olympic 9 Uzbekistan 9 15 14 38 heavyweights. 10 Thailand 9 11 33 53 Olympic medallist PV Sind- 11 Kazakhstan 8 9 30 47 hu yet again finished second-best 12 Bahrain 8 3 5 16 in a major final but grabbed a historic individual silver medal at the Asian Games after losing with four golds in track and win in the event, before reveal- the women’s singles title clash field, including Xie Wenjun’s ing he had received “special in- to world number one Tai Tzu- come-from-behind victory in the structions” from Chinese hur- Ying in Asian games Women’s 110m hurdles. dling great Liu Xiang. Badminton Singles finals. Xie, 28, capitalised on a late “Before the match, before I China passed 200 medals ear- stumble by Taiwan’s Chen Kuei- went to Europe, he gave me spe- ly in the day and they finished ru to claim China’s ninth straight cial instructions. I really thank Indonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (L) and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (R) celebrate him,” said Xie, who also won the sze successfully defended her sprint hurdles in 2014. keirin title, becoming the first As the dust settled on day 10, woman to win four track cycling China were on 97 gold medals, golds at the Asian Games. more than double Japan’s 43, India yesterday clinched two with South Korea on 32 and In- medals, one gold and one sil - donesia on 24. ver, in the men’s 800m athlet- ics event of the ongoing 18th Kurash, bang, wallop edition of the Asian Games. Earlier, Saudi Arabia ended their While Indian athlete Manjit wait for their first gold medal Singh bagged the gold medal of the Games when they won with a clock timing of 1:46.15, his equestrian’s team jumping event. fellow tracker Jinson Johnson Hong Kong’s former Olympic settled for a silver after clocking bronze medallist Sarah Lee Wai- 1:46.35 in the finals of the event. After complaints over the judging in pencak silat, in which Indonesian athletes won all six golds, Uzbekistan cleaned up in kurash, another martial art making its debut. 38 India’s Pincky Balhara and China failed to win a singles badminton Malaprabha Yallappa Jadhav medal for the first handed India another two time in 38 years medals as they won silver and bronze, respectively, in women’s (L-R) Japan’s Taioh Kanai and China’s Xie Wenjun compete in the final of the men’s 110m hurdles athletics event 52 kg kurash..