Greysia Polii

Greysia Polii (born 11 August 1987) is an Indonesian former badminton player specializing in doubles. She won gold medals in the women's doubles at the 2014 Asian Games, at the 2019 SEA Games and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won three bronze medals at the World Championships in 2015, 2018, and 2019. Polii is a member of BWF Athletes' Commission to represent the needs and views of athletes to the BWF council and committees from 2013 to 2017 and 2021 to 2025.
Having started her career at the Jaya Raya in Jakarta, she later was selected to join the national team in 2003. Polii represented her country in the 2012, 2016 and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also featured in the Indonesian women's winning team at the 2007 SEA Games. She reached a career high of world number 2 in the BWF women's doubles rankings alongside Nitya Krishinda Maheswari.
Polii's achievements began when she was paired with Jo Novita, winning a Grand Prix title, two silver medals at the SEA Games in 2005 and 2007, and a bronze in the 2005 Asian Championships. Together with Maheswari, she collected 2 Superseries titles, 3 Grand Prix titles, a gold at the 2014 Asian Games, a silver at the 2013 SEA Games, and bronze medals at the 2015 World and 2016 Asian Championships. She made a new partnership with the youngster Apriyani Rahayu in 2017. Together with Rahayu, she won her first women's doubles gold at the SEA Games in 2019, her first title on home soil at the 2020 Indonesia Masters, and Indonesia's first ever women's doubles gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Greysia Polii was born in Jakarta to Willy Polii and Evie Pakasi, both of Minahasa descent native to North Sulawesi. She is the third of five siblings. She lived in Jakarta until her dad died when she was only 2, and moved to Manado, where she spent her childhood. She was influenced to play badminton by her sister, and by former national player Deyana Lomban. Her talent was already apparent by the time she was six years old. Recognizing her talent, she and her mother moved back to Jakarta in 1995 for better training and a chance to develop her career as a badminton player, joining the Jaya Raya Jakarta club. She idolized Susi Susanti and Zhang Ning.
At the club, her coach Retno Kustijah noticed her talent as a doubles player, and when Polii was 14, she made the decision to switch from singles to doubles. She made it to the national team in 2003.
Career
2003–2005: Early career and National Championships title
Starting her career as a women's and mixed doubles player, Polii began to show her abilities at the age of 16. Partnered with Heni Budiman, she reached the semi-final stage in the 2003 Malaysia Satellite tournament. As a national team player, she won her first National Championships title with Budiman. The duo defeated East Kalimantan pair Indarti Issolina and Angeline de Pauw 8–15, 15–8, 15–7.
In 2004, Polii helped the national junior team win the girls' team bronze at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships and mixed team bronze at the World Junior Championships. She also claimed the World Junior silver in the mixed doubles with Muhammad Rijal, and the bronze medal in the girls' doubles with Budiman. She made her debut with the national team at the Uber Cup in 2004, where the team made the quarter-finals. Her best achievements in individual events during the year were reaching the quarter-finals at the Chinese Taipei Open and the Malaysia Open.
In 2005, Polii won bronze medals at the Asian Junior Championships in the girls' team and doubles (with Heni Budiman). In March, she and Budiman finished as the semi-finalists in the Swiss Open. Due to the hip injury suffered by Budiman at the Swiss Open, Polii made a new partnership with her senior Jo Novita in the beginning of 2005, and the duo won the bronze at the Asian Championships, as well as silver at the SEA Games. At the World Grand Prix event, the Polii-Novita partnership were semi-finalists at the Singapore and Hong Kong Open. Polii helped Indonesia reach the final stage of the Sudirman Cup, but the team lost 0–3 to China.
2006–2008: World Grand Prix title
In 2006, Polii began her season competing at the All England Open. Together with Jo Novita, she lost in the second round to the third seeds from China, Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen, in straight games. In May, Polii won her first IBF World Grand Prix title at the 2006 Philippines Open partnered with Novita. In the final they beat their compatriots Endang Nursugianti and Rani Mundiasti in straight games 21–16, 21–13. She also paired with Muhammad Rijal in the mixed doubles, losing in the semi-finals to the eventual champions from Thailand, Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam. At the Indonesia Open held in Surabaya, Polii's run was ended by a partnership featuring Zhao Tingting in both the women's and mixed doubles. In June, Polii reached the semi-finals in the mixed doubles and quarter-finals in the women's doubles at the Singapore Open. On the East Asian tour held in July–August, her best achievement was being a finalist at the Korea Open - she and Novita were defeated by Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen by a score of 10–21, 11–21. Together with Novita, she qualified to compete at the World Championships held in Madrid. The duo were defeated in the third round to first seeds and eventual champions from China Gao Ling and Huang Sui. Ranked as world number 10 in the women's doubles with Novita, Polii was ousted in the second round of the Japan Open both in the women's and mixed doubles. In the mixed doubles with Rijal, they lost to two-times Olympic champion Zhang Jun and Gao Ling in a rubber game 16–21, 22–20, 7–21. In November, the second seeded Polii-Novita reached the semi-finals of the Denmark Open before being defeated by Polish pair Kamila Augustyn and Nadieżda Kostiuczyk in a close rubber game 13–21, 21–19, 19–21. In December, she represented her country at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, but failed to contribute any points to the team, where Indonesia women's team fell in the repechage to the semi-finals stage. Due to an injury suffered by Novita during the matches against Malaysia in the group stage, Polii was paired with Pia Zebadiah Bernadet in the individual event, but they were upset in the second round by Japanese pair Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna. She ended the 2006 season standing as world number 9 in the women's doubles.
Polii opened the 2007 season by playing at the Malaysia Open with new partner Vita Marissa. The duo advanced to the final, but were unable to defeat the three times World Champion Gao Ling and Huang Sui, although they forced the Chinese pair to play a deciding game. Seeing that this new couple had good prospects, the women's doubles coach Aryono Miranat continued their partnership. In the following tournaments, although they did not win a title, the pair managed to become semi-finalists at the Swiss Open and quarter-finalists at the All England and Singapore Open. In Switzerland, Polii also finished as the finalist in the mixed doubles with Muhammad Rijal. In June, she helped Indonesia finish second to China in the Sudirman Cup. In July, after Jo Novita recovered from an injury, the duo teamed up again and participated in the Thailand Open, China Masters, and Philippines Open. Their best results were when she and Novita reached the semi-finals in the Philippines. In the quarter-finals, they were able to beat the third seeds from China, Yang Wei and Zhao Tingting, in two close games 25–23, 24–22.
In August, Polii played at the World Championships in the women's and mixed doubles. In the second round of the women's doubles, she had to retire from the tournament due to an injury to her right knee ligament. On the European tour in October–November, her best result was a semi-final appearance in the French Open. At the National Championships held in Solo, teamed up with Novita, Polii successfully defended the title she won two years ago with Heni Budiman. In December, she featured in the Indonesian women's winning team at the SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and won her second women's doubles silver at the Games.
In the first half of the 2008 season, together with her partners Jo Novita and Muhammad Rijal, Polii did not have satisfactory results, as her best achievements were being a women's doubles quarter-finalist in the German, All England, Indonesia, and Asian Championships. She was also a mixed doubles quarter-finalist in Korea, Germany, and India. In May, Polii helped Indonesia reach the final of the Uber Cup held in Jakarta, where the team finished as the runner-up. Polii later teamed up with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari in the women's doubles and with Flandy Limpele in the mixed doubles. Her best results with her new partner was as a women's doubles semi-finalist in the Denmark Open, defeating the 7th seeds Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei in the second round, and finishing as a mixed doubles quarter-finalist in the Japan Open and China Masters. Despite not being paired-up with Novita in the remaining 2008 tournaments, they were qualified to compete at the inaugural Superseries Masters Finals held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The duo reached the semi-finals, where they were defeated by their compatriots Liliyana Natsir and Vita Marissa in straight games 19–21, 17–21.
2009–2012: National Championships double crowned, Olympic Games black card
In 2009, Polii focused on one discipline, playing only in the women's doubles with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari. Even though she fell in the early stages of two Europe tour events, the All England and Swiss Open, she reached the finals of Singapore Open. She and her partner beat the world number one Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty from Malaysia in the quarter-finals, followed by ninth-placed Lena Frier Kristiansen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl from Denmark in the semi-finals. In May, she was part of the Indonesia team who finished as semi-finalists in Sudirman Cup held in Guangzhou. Polii and Maheswari played at the World Championships in Hyderabad, India, as 13th seeds. Their journey at the championships stopped in the third round with defeat to the 2008 Olympic gold medalists, the 5th seeded Du Jing and Yu Yang in straight games 20–22, 12–21. She later managed to reach the semi-finals in the Japan and French Open, but was beaten by Chinese pair Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli in both tournaments. In December, Polii participated at the SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos. She won the silver medal in the women's team, and as second seeds in the individual women's doubles event, she and Maheswari had a bye in the first round, but their progress was stopped by young Thai pair Savitree Amitrapai and Vacharaporn Munkit in the quarter-finals. As a pair with Maheswari, she spent time inside the top 10 of the BWF rankings.
In January 2010, Polii was crowned a double champion at the 2009 National Championships, winning the women's doubles with Meiliana Jauhari, and the mixed doubles with Tontowi Ahmad. As a new pair, the Polii–Jauhari partnership were considered successful at the Super Series stage, they were the semi-finalists in the Singapore Open; quarter-finalists in All England, Indonesia Open, and China Masters. The pair were also the finalists in the Macau and Indonesia Grand Prix Gold. She also was a quarter-finalist at the Asian Championships both in the women's doubles with Jauhari and the mixed doubles with Ahmad, and part of the national team that won the bronze medal at the Uber Cup and Asian Games. At the end of the season, she was ranked as women's doubles world number 9 in the BWF World ranking, and number 8 in the Super Series ranking, made her able to compete at the Super Series Finals in Taipei, though she did not advance to the semi-final, after placed third in the group stage.
In 2011, Polii alongside Meiliana Jauhari was not able to win a title. Her best results at the Super Series event was the semi-finals in the India Open; she was also a quarter-finalist in Singapore and Indonesia Open. In the second round of the Indonesia Open, a Super Series Premier event, Polii received a yellow card from the umpire, for taking too much time during a close match against Ma Jin and Pan Pan. At the Grand Prix event, she was a finalist in the Chinese Taipei Open; semi-finalist in Malaysia and Swiss Open. In the final of the Chinese Taipei Open against Korean pair Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung, Polii had to retire in the third game, and undergo treatment at the hospital, after sustaining a right shoulder injury in the second game. The injury then made Polii often struggled with the backhand serve.
In August, Polii and Jauhari competed at the World Championships in London. The duo lost in the quarter-finals to Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna, worsening their head-to-head record against that pair to 0–4. Polii was part of the national team that won the bronze medal at the Sudirman Cup, where Indonesia lost in the semi-finals to Denmark by a score of 1–3.
In 2012, Polii started the season by making the quarter-finals in the Korea Open Super Series Premier with her partner Meiliana Jauhari. She later was defeated in the early rounds of some tournaments, including the Super Series event of Malaysia, All England, and the India Open. In June, she reached the semi-finals of Indonesia and the Singapore Open. She managed to reduce her head-to-head deficit against the Japanese pair Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna to 1–4, after she and Jauhari beat them in quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Polii and her partner Meiliana Jauhari, along with Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung of South Korea, and Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China were disqualified from the competition for "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport" following matches the previous evening during which they threw the match. Greysia Polii and her partner Meiliana Jauhari played against South Korea's Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung. Indonesia filed an appeal to the case, but it was withdrawn.
2013–2015: First Grand Prix Gold, Super Series, and Asian Games champion
In 2013, Polii started the season with Meiliana Jauhari, but was defeated in the initial round of Korea and Malaysia Open. Polii later paired with youngster Anggia Shitta Awanda, a silver medalist at the 2011 World Junior Championships. The Polii-Awanda partnership did not last long, with their best result in four tournaments being the quarter-finals of the New Zealand Open. In March, Polii was elected to serve a four-year term as a member of BWF Athletes' Commission to represent the needs and views of athletes to the BWF council and committees.
In preparation for Indonesia's participation in the Sudirman Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Polii resumed her partnership with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari. In their first game back together in Kuala Lumpur, the pair managed to contribute one point for Indonesia against India. At the second tournament for Polii and Maheswari after four years separated, she finally won her first Grand Prix Gold title in the Thailand Open. She and Maheswari beat Japanese pair Yuriko Miki and Koharu Yonemoto in the final with the score of 21–7, 21–13. At the Super Series event, they later finished as semi-finalists in Singapore and the French Open; also quarter-finalists in Indonesia Open and China Masters. In the French Open, she and Maheswari beat the world number one and first seeded pairing from China, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang in a close rubber game, 21–17, 14–21, 23–21. In December, she won her third women's doubles silver medal at the SEA Games held in Myanmar.
In 2014, Polii began the season as a semi-finalist in the Korea Open and quarter-finalist in the Malaysia Open with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari. In March, she became a finalist in the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold after beating the first seeded Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in the quarter-finals and the 7th seeded Luo Ying and Luo Yu in the semi-finals. Later she and Maheswari were defeated by the 2nd seeded Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua 21–19, 16–21, 13–21. In four meetings against Bao and Tang, each match had ended with a rubber game, and after the loss in Switzerland, the head-to-head record between the pairs stood at 0–4. At the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open, she and Maheswari were defeated for fifth time by Bao and Tang, this time losing in two close games 20–22, 20–22. In May, she participated at the Uber Cup held in New Delhi, but the team were eliminated in the quarter-finals. In June, she competed in the Indonesia Open in the women's doubles with Maheswari and mixed doubles with Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. In both events, she lost in the second round, but in the mixed doubles, she and Sukamuljo were able to upset the defending champions and world number one Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei in the first round with the score of 15–21, 21–18, 23–21.
In July 2014, Polii claimed her second BWF Grand Prix Gold title with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari in the Chinese Taipei Open, beating Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang in the final. She qualified to compete in the World Championships in Copenhagen, but lost to Reika Kakiiwa and Miyuki Maeda in the quarter-finals. In September, Polii won the women's doubles gold medal at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, partnered with Maheswari. En route to the gold medal, she and Maheswari beat 3rd seeds Kakiiwa and Maeda in the quarter-finals, 2nd seeds Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei in the semi-finals, and 1st seeds Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the final. After finishing as quarter-finalists in the China Open, and semi-finalists in the Hong Kong Open, she and Maheswari played in the Dubai World Superseries Finals, but had to retire from the competition due to an injury suffered by Maheswari in the opening match against Kakiiwa and Maeda.
In 2015, Polii opened the season as a quarter-finalist in the Malaysia Masters partnered with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari. She and her partner were also eliminated in the quarter-finals of All England, Malaysia, and Australia Open. In May, she was part of the Indonesia team that won the bronze medal of Sudirman Cup in Dongguan, China. In June, she and Maheswari made it to the final of the Indonesia Open, but they were not able to win the title after losing to Tian Qing and Tang Jinhua in the final. Polii and Maheswari managed to retain their title in the Chinese Taipei Open after beating world number one Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the semi-finals, and the second seeded world number 3 Luo Ying and Luo Yu in the final.
In August, Polii and Maheswari won a bronze medal in the World Championships in Jakarta. A month later, they then captured their first Super Series title in the Korea Open. At several Super Series tournaments at the end of 2015, she finished as a semi-finalist in French, Hong Kong, and Dubai World Superseries Finals, and as a finalist in a Grand Prix Gold event, the Indonesian Masters. She and Maheswari ended the season as world number 3 in the BWF World rankings.
2016: World number 2, and Rio Olympics
In January, Polii and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari reached a career high as world number 2 in the women's doubles. She and Maheswari started the season in March, and finished as semi finalists in the German Open, losing in the final to Thai pair Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in a close rubber game. In April, the duo also reached the semi-finals in India and the Malaysia Open, and then they won their second Super Series title together in the Singapore Open without stepping on court, after their opponents Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi withdrew from the final match due to an injury suffered by Matsutomo in the semi-finals. Polii and Maheswasi won the bronze medal in Asian Championships held in Wuhan, losing in the semi-finals to Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao in a close rubber game by the score of 21–13, 19–21, 22–24. The match lasted two hours, 41 minutes, setting a record for the longest badminton match ever. In May, she alongside the Indonesian women's team competed in the Uber Cup in Kunshan, China, but the team lost in the quarter-finals to South Korea. In June, Polii and Maheswari finished as runners-up in the Australian Open, defeated by Bao Yixin and Chen Qingchen.
She made her second appearance at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this time with Maheswari. The duo won three matches in the group stage and advanced to the knocked-out stage. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Chinese pair Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang in straight games 11–21, 14–21. At the European tour in October, she and her partner reached the semi-finals in Denmark and quarter-finals in the French Open. The duo were qualified for the BWF Superseries Finals. However, they withdrew from the tournament due to Maheswari's scheduled knee surgery and their position was taken by Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei.
2017: New partner, French Open and second Thailand Open title
Due to an injury suffered by Maheswari, Polii tried partnerships with Rosyita Eka Putri Sari and Rizki Amelia Pradipta. Together with Putri Sari, she reached the semi-finals in the Thailand Masters, losing to Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, while with Pradipta, the duo lost in the second round of the European tour in the German, All England and Swiss Open. In May, Polii partnered with Apriyani Rahayu, and they competed as a new pair at the Sudirman Cup in Gold Coast, Australia. Even though they had only been paired for about a month, the duo won their first title in the Thailand Open after defeating the home pair Chayanit Chaladchalam and Phataimas Muenwong in straight games 21–12, 21–12 in the final. They also won the Superseries title at the French Open, just five months into their partnership. Other achievements by Polii and Rahayu in 2017 were runner-up in Hong Kong, semi-finalists in New Zealand, and quarter-finalists in Korea Open. Polii also helped the Indonesia women's team win the bronze medal at the SEA Games held in Kuala Lumpur, unfortunately, in the individual women's doubles event, she and Rahayu lost in the first round to eventual champion Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand. The Polii and Rahayu partnership, first paired in May, reached a career high as world number 10 in the BWF World rankings in November.
2018: India Open and third Thailand Open title
In January, Polii and Apriyani Rahayu began the season by finishing as runners-up in the Indonesia Masters, losing to second seeded Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the final. A month later, the duo played as the third seeds in the India Open and won the title after beating the first-seeded Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in the semi-finals, and the second-seeded Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in the final. She featured in the Indonesian women's team that won bronze at the Asia Team Championships held in Alor Setar and were quarter-finalists in the Uber Cup in Bangkok. In July, she and her partner lost in the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open to Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, but a week later, she won her third Thailand Open title, as she and Rahayu defended the title they had won in Thailand the previous year, when the event was known as the Grand Prix. In August, the duo won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Nanjing, and further bronze medals at the Asian Games in the women's doubles and team events. In the remainder of the 2018 tour, she and Rahayu only reached the semi-finals in Japan, China, Denmark, French, Hong Kong, and quarter-finals in the Fuzhou China Open. The duo achieved their career high as world number 3 in the BWF rankings in September.
2019–2022: Second India Open, first SEA Games, home soil title and Olympic Games gold medal
Polii opened the 2019 season as a finalist in the Malaysia Masters with Apriyani Rahayu. In the semi-finals, they beat their arch-rivals Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in a close rubber game, improving their head-to-head record against the Japanese pair to 2–8. A week later, they again lost to Matsutomo and Takahashi in the Indonesia Masters. They led 18–10 in the first game, but lost it 20–22, eventually losing the match in a close rubber game. In March, she and Rahayu lost in the quarter-finals of both the German and All England Open. Polii and Rahayu then clinched their second India Open title defeating Chow Mei Kuan and Lee Meng Yean in the final. In May, she alongside the Indonesia team finished as semi-finalists in the Sudirman Cup in Nanning, settling for the bronze medal. In June, she and Rahayu advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Open after beating the first seeded, world number one Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara in the quarter-finals, but the duo were beaten by Chinese pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, the fifth defeat in seven meetings between them. At the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, she and her partner won the bronze medal, after defeat in the semi-finals to eventual champions Matsumoto and Nagahara. After the World Championships, her coach, Eng Hian, evaluated that she and Rahayu had fallen short of their previous standard. In the end of 2019 season, their best results were only the semi-finalists in Chinese Taipei Open, after that, they often lost in the initial stage. She finally won her first women's doubles gold medal at the SEA Games, having made her debut at the Games 14 years ago. She and Rahayu defeated Chayanit Chaladchalam and Phataimas Muenwong of Thailand 21–3, 21–18.
In 2020, Polii and Apriyani Rahayu who ranked as world number eight started their tour in the Malaysia Masters. At that tournament, they finished as semi-finalists defeated by Chinese pair Li Wenmei and Zheng Yu in a rubber game. A week later in the Indonesia Masters, Polii won her first ever international title in Indonesia, after she and Rahayu triumphed in a thrilling match against Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen of Denmark. In February, she won her second title of the year by winning the Barcelona Spain Masters. In the final, she and Rahayu defeated Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria in a rubber game. In March All England Open, she and her partner lost in the first round to Korean pair Chang Ye-na and Kim Hye-rin in straight games. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous tournaments on the 2020 BWF World Tour were either cancelled or rescheduled for later in the year. In June, Polii then took part at the PBSI home tournament partnered with Febby Valencia Dwijayanti Gani. The duo finished third at that tournament. Polii returned in the international competitions at the 2020 Asian Leg tournament in January 2021. Together with Rahayu, she won her first ever BWF Super 1000 tournament, the Yonex Thailand Open. She dedicated the title to her elder brother, Rickettsia, a father-figure to her ever since their father's death when she was a child, who died after Polii's wedding in December 2020. A week later in the semi-finals of the Toyota Thailand Open, Polii and Rahayu fell in two games to Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan of South Korea. The duo then played at the World Tour Finals, but was eliminated in the group stage.
In 2021, Polii scheduled to participating at the All England Open, but later Indonesia team were forced to withdraw from the competition by BWF after the team members will self-isolate for 10 days from the date of their inbound flight after an anonym person traveling onboard tested positive for COVID-19.
Polii qualified to compete in the women's doubles event at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. She competed in her third straight Summer Olympics with debutant Apriyani Rahayu. In the final, they defeated the 2017 World Champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in two straight games, 21–19, and 21–15. Polii and Rahayu became the first unseeded pair to win the gold medal in women's doubles. This was Indonesia's first Olympic Games gold in women's doubles. At 33 years and 356 days, Polii is the oldest female badminton player to win a gold medal at the Olympics. With this win, Indonesia became just the second country after China to have won gold medals in all five disciplines of badminton at the Summer Olympics. After her Olympic success, the Student Sports Training Center in Jakarta was named after Polii and fellow olympian Apriyani Rahayu.
In December 2021, Polii was elected as BWF Athletes' Commission, and has been appointed as the chair of the commission in February 2022. Polii officially announced her retirement from the international badminton tournament at the Istora Senayan on 12 June 2022.
Awards and nominations
Achievements
Olympic Games
Women's doubles
BWF World Championships
Women's doubles
Asian Games
Women's doubles
Asian Championships
Women's doubles
SEA Games
Women's doubles
IBF World Junior Championships
Girls' doubles
Mixed doubles
Asian Junior Championships
Girls' doubles
BWF World Tour (6 titles, 3 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.
Women's doubles
BWF Superseries (3 titles, 6 runners-up)
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
Women's doubles
Mixed doubles
BWF Superseries Finals tournament
BWF Superseries Premier tournament
BWF Superseries tournament
BWF Grand Prix (5 titles, 6 runners-up)
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix was sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.
Women's doubles
BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament
Performance timeline
National team
Junior level
Senior level
Individual competitions
Junior level
In the junior international tournament, Polii won bronze medals in the girls' doubles at the 2004 World, 2005 Asian Junior Championships and also a silver medal in the mixed at the 2004 World Junior Championships.
Girls' doubles
Mixed doubles
Senior level
In the senior level tournament, Polii won gold medals in the 2014 Asian Games, 2019 SEA Games, and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won 14 individual titles in the BWF tour equivalent events.
Women's doubles
Mixed doubles
Record against selected opponents
Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists.
Nitya Krishinda Maheswari
Meiliana Jauhari
Apriyani Rahayu
References
External links
1987 births
Living people
Badminton players from Jakarta
Indonesian Christians
Minahasa people
Indonesian female badminton players
Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic badminton players for Indonesia
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Indonesia
Olympic medalists in badminton
Badminton players at the 2006 Asian Games
Badminton players at the 2010 Asian Games
Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games
Badminton players at the 2018 Asian Games
Asian Games gold medalists for Indonesia
Asian Games bronze medalists for Indonesia
Asian Games medalists in badminton
Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2007 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2009 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2013 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2017 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games
SEA Games gold medalists for Indonesia
SEA Games silver medalists for Indonesia
SEA Games bronze medalists for Indonesia
SEA Games medalists in badminton