Jonatan Christie to face Chou Tien Chen in badminton final

Indonesian shuttler Jonatan Christie will meet world number six Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the final match of the 2018 Asian Games men’s badminton singles competition on Tuesday.

Jonatan headed into the final after beating Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-15, 12-21, 21-19 earlier on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Chou stepped into the final after stopping Indonesian player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting after a match lasting 1 hour 22 minutes and ending with a scoreline of 16-21, 23-21, 21-17.

With Ginting’s defeat, Indonesia failed to realize the "All-Indonesian Final" in the men's singles final.

Jonatan, a Jakarta born 20-year-old player, has been a star at Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Senayan, especially among female spectators.

Jojo, as he is familiarly called, is always awaited by badminton lovers and spectators.

"Jojo can... Jojo can... Jojo can..." the crowd shouted to Jojo every time he launched an offense or was playing a critical point.

"I did not expect to go to the final," said Jonatan, who became the world number 15 after the match on Monday.

Ginting, who failed to proceed to the final, prayed for his colleague’s success in the final tomorrow.

"Hopefully Jonatan can play well… We, the Indonesian people, must support Jonatan to win a gold medal," said Ginting who had to settle for the bronze medal.

Marathon runner Rose Chelimo grabs Bahrain’s first gold

Bahrain runner Rose Chelimo won the country’s first gold in the women’s marathon at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on Sunday.

Previously, Bahrain had pocketed two silver medals from runners Elabbassi Elhassan in the men’s marathon and Chumba Eunice in the women’s 10,000 meters.

Chelimo finished the 42.195-kilometer marathon at the Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) in two hours, 34 minutes and 51seconds, followed by Japan’s Nogami Keiko with a time of two hours 36 minutes and 27 seconds.

DPR Korea runner Kim Hye-song settled for bronze after reaching the finish line in two hours 37 minutes and 20 seconds.

The three medalists’ times are still far behind Asian Games’ long-standing record of two hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds set by Japanese runner Takanashi Nauko in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1981.

The women's marathon saw 19 runners from 12 countries. Indonesian runner Triyaningsih failed to participate in the marathon due to injuries.

Indonesia Athletics Federation (PASI) secretary-general Tigor Tanjung said the federation had canceled Triyaningsih’s participation after receiving a recommendation from a team of doctors.

Indonesia’s Rifki Ardiansyah eyes 2020 Olympics after beating World No. 3 karateka

Indonesia karateka Rifki Ardiansyah Arrosyiid

Indonesia karateka Rifki Ardiansyah Arrosyiid is shifting his focus to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics following his gold medal victory over Iran’s Amir Mahdi Zadeh, who is ranked No. 3 in the world.

Rifki presented Indonesia’s first karate gold in the 2018 Asian Games on Sunday, when he defeated Amir in the 60-kilogram category of men’s kumite. Indonesia also collected a bronze medal from Cokorda Istri Agung S., who competed in the women’s kumite 55 kg.

Rifki’s victory fulfills the Youth and Sports Ministry’s target of collecting at least one gold in karate.

His journey to the Asiad gold has been a tough one, as Rifki faced strong opponents: Malaysia karateka Prem Kumar Selvam in the semifinals and Amir in the final.

"The two athletes did their best,” Indonesia Sport Karate Federation (FORKI) president Gatot Nurmantyo said about the finalists, Rifki and Amir. “We should thank the parents of both [men] for allowing them to practice and blessed their every step.”

“Our victory is dedicated to all the Indonesian people," Gatot added.

Following Rifki’s Asian Games gold, FORKI will continue to support Indonesian karatekas in their journey to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Indonesian karatekas are optimistic about their prospects in karate’s Olympics debut in two years.

Rifki said he was grateful he was able to repeat Indonesia’s glorious history in karate kumite in the 18th Asian Games, following in the footsteps of karateka Hasan Basri, who won gold at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

"God is in my heart at all times. I want to say thank you, especially to my parents, and also to all Indonesians who supported throughout this time. Last but not least, thank you to my manager and coach," said Rifki.

“I always dreamed of becoming an Asian Games champion, as well as a world champion. I entrust everything to Allah Almighty. Everything was difficult, but I believed we could get through it,” Rifki said, expressing his confidence.

Rifki serves in the Indonesian Military (TNI) and is assigned to the sports center of the Brawijaya military command. Aside from karate, Rifki often plays chess, which has trained him to control his emotions during a karate match.

"I always try to stay calm and confident. [I was able to perform well] because of the support from the Indonesian people," Rifki said.

Republic of Korea dominates bowling with two golds

Bowling player from Malaysia, Muhammad Rafiq Ismail

The Republic of Korea won the most medals in the 2018 Asian Games bowling events with two golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

Malaysia is the runner-up in the bowling medal tally with two golds and two silvers, while Japan is in third position with two gold medals.

Korea collected two gold medals from the men’s and women’s team of six events. The country also sent two bowlers in the men’s and women’s master finals, but both failed to secure golds.

Muhammad Rafiq Ismail of Malaysia won the gold medal in the men’s master after defeating Korea’s Park Jong-woo.

The left-handed Rafiq achieved a score of 534, while Park lagged behind with 501. The bronze medal went to fellow Korean bowler Koo Seong-hoi.

In the women’s master event, Japanese bowler Mirai Ishimoto grabbed the gold medal after beating Korea’s Lee Yeon-ji. Compatriot Lee Yeon-ji took home the bronze.

Mirai performed consistently in the final after topping the women’s master Block 2 rankings.

Trailing behind the top three countries are Hong Kong, China with one silver, Chinese Taipei with one silver and two bronzes and Singapore with two bronze medals.

The host country, Indonesia, remained without a medal in the five-day event at the Jakabaring Bowling Center in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Indonesian men’s master Ryan Leonard Lalisang settled for the 12th place with an overall score of 3,620, and Hardi Racmadiah was 15th with 3,568.

"We failed to reach our target, but overall, Indonesian athletes gave their best in every category. We will certainly conduct a thorough evaluation as part of the preparation for SEA [Southeast Asian] Games 2019," said Indonesian bowling team manager Ronny Arnold Mandagi.