Zaki Ubaidillah had never faced a moment like this. His team was 0-2 down, the gold medal was slipping away, and 23-year-old shuttler had to win two straight games just to keep Indonesia's dream alive. He did  and it turned into the country's first Asian Games men's team badminton title since 1998.

Who, what, where, when, how much: On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Indonesia's men's badminton team defeated defending champion China 3-2 in the Asian Games team final at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. It was Indonesia's first gold medal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games and its first men's team badminton gold in 28 years. Tickets and travel packages for badminton fans are no longer relevant now  the tournament has concluded  but the result instantly became the story of Indonesia's Games.

At a Glance

• Final score: 3-2 (Indonesia over China)
• Gap since last gold: 28 years (last won in 1998)
• Decisive match: Zaki Ubaidillah beat Weng Hongyang 23-21, 21-13
• Indonesia's medal count after the win: 1 gold, 4 silver, 15 bronze

How did Indonesia come back from 0-2 down?
World No. 1 Jonatan Christie lost the opening singles 13-21, 18-21 to Shi Yuqi. Then doubles pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri fell in three games. China needed just one more win to retain the title they'd held since 2018.

That's when Alwi Farhan steadied the tie, beating Li Shifeng in three games. Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin then leveled it 2-2 with a straight-games win over He Jiting and Liu Yi, setting up a decider nobody had scripted for Zaki Ubaidillah.

 

 

 

 

 

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Why does this win matter so much for Indonesia?

Badminton is Indonesia's most decorated Olympic and Asian Games sport, but the men's team title had eluded the country since Bangkok 1998  a gap spanning three Asian Games hosts and an entire generation of players. China had won the previous two editions, in Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and Hangzhou 2022, and was chasing a third straight title before Ubaidillah stopped them.

"I kept reassuring myself to stay calm on the court, and the coach also gave me confidence," Ubaidillah said after the match

The win also denied China a clean sweep of both team golds  the Chinese women's team had already beaten Indonesia's women 3-0 in the semifinals two days earlier, leaving Indonesia's women's side with bronze.

What happens next for Indonesian badminton?

The gold arrives after a rough patch: Indonesia failed to reach the Thomas Cup quarterfinals in April 2026 for the first time in the tournament's history. Aichi becomes a reset point, with Jonatan Christie still ranked world No. 1 and a deep bench of doubles talent heading toward the next Olympic cycle.

The surprising detail worth sharing: Ubaidillah, the man who sealed the gold, wasn't even Indonesia's headline singles player going in  that was Christie, who went winless in the entire team event.