Jakarta. World No. 1 Jonatan Christie will leave the Asian Games men's team badminton event with a gold medal despite losing all three matches he played for Indonesia, an unusual contrast that has drawn criticism and sympathy from badminton fans.

Indonesia captured the men's team title after staging a remarkable comeback from 0-2 down to defeat defending champion China 3-2 in Thursday's final at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan.

The victory gave Indonesia its first men's team badminton gold at the Asian Games in 28 years, ending a drought stretching back to Bangkok 1998. It was also Indonesia's first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Jonatan, however, endured a difficult tournament individually.

Playing as Indonesia's first men's singles player, he lost in the quarterfinal against Malaysia, the semifinal against Thailand and the final against China, leaving him without a victory or a point for the team from his three appearances.

His final defeat came against China's Shi Yuqi, who beat him 21-13, 21-18 to put China 1-0 ahead.

China then doubled its advantage when Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang defeated Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in three games.

Facing defeat at 0-2, Indonesia launched its comeback through Alwi Farhan, who defeated Li Shifeng 23-21, 15-21, 21-16.

Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin then beat He Ji Ting/Liu Yi 23-21, 21-10 to level the final at 2-2.

Moh Zaki Ubaidillah completed the comeback with a 23-21, 21-13 victory over Weng Hongyang in the deciding match, sealing Indonesia's 3-2 triumph and the gold medal.

World No. 1 Draws Scrutiny
Jonatan's winless Asian Games team campaign has attracted particular attention because he entered the tournament as the world's top-ranked men's singles player.

His performance prompted criticism from some Indonesian social media users, with comments appearing on his Instagram account questioning how the world No. 1 could go through three team matches without a victory.

Others offered support, urging the 29-year-old not to be discouraged and noting that athletes inevitably experience fluctuations in form.

Jonatan himself acknowledged his disappointing performance and apologized after losing to Shi in the final.

“First of all, I want to apologize because I haven't been able to contribute a single point for Indonesia,” Jonatan said.

“Honestly, I'm very, very disappointed with my performance in this team event.”

Jonatan said he had tried to make adjustments after each defeat, including playing more aggressively and increasing his fighting intensity, but acknowledged that his performance remained well below his expectations.

He said he would use the break after the team competition to recover and prepare for the individual event, where he will have another opportunity to compete for a medal.

Despite his individual struggles, Jonatan shares the Asian Games men's team gold with the rest of the Indonesian squad, whose comeback against China delivered the country's first title in the event since 1998.

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