Indonesia clinched the Asian Games 2026 badminton men’s team gold medal after staging a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over China on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the Ichinoya City Municipal Gymnasium. According to reporting from CNN Indonesia and Megapolis, the decisive final match saw singles player Moh Zaki Ubaidillah—widely known as Ubed—defeat China’s Weng Hongyang 23-21, 21-13 in a 45-minute battle that secured the team title.
Ubed Secures the Winning Point in Straight Games
The championship tie came down to the fifth and final match, where Ubed faced a slow start against Weng Hongyang. As detailed by CNN Indonesia, Weng capitalized on early loose returns to establish a 4-0 lead and maintained the pressure to lead 11-8 at the first game’s interval. Ubed slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually executing four consecutive points to force a deuce at 20-20. Ubed won the subsequent drive exchange to take the opening game 23-21.
Building on the momentum, Ubed dominated the second game from the outset. Megapolis noted that Ubed exploited several misjudgments by Weng to jump to a 5-1 lead and held an 11-6 advantage at the interval. A series of sharp jumping smashes and cross-court winners forced Weng into a defensive stance. Ubed secured match point at 20-13 before sealing the gold with a decisive cross-court smash to close the second game 21-13.
Ending a 28-Year Title Drought
Kompas.com reported that the victory marks Indonesia’s first men’s team gold medal at the Asian Games in 28 years, ending a championship drought that stretched back to the Bangkok 1998 edition. The triumphant 1998 squad featured names such as Taufik Hidayat, Rexy Mainaky, and Ricky Soebagdja. Since that victory in Thailand, the Indonesian men’s team had twice settled for silver medals before finally breaking through against China in 2026.
The path to the 2026 gold required resilience from the entire squad. Kompas.com noted that Ubed stepped up as the ultimate tie-breaker after the Indonesian doubles pair of Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin secured a crucial win in the fourth match to tie the team score at 2-2, wiping out China’s early 2-0 lead before Ubed completed the comeback.
Keep reading