Marcus Fernaldi Gideon

Indonesia has a deep bench of badminton legends, which includes the current world number-one men’s doubles players Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. The duo has held the throne since 2017.

Gideon’s rise in the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) rankings began two years after he was paired with Sanjaya Sukamuljo in 2015. In 2017, they managed to sweep seven out of nine finals in the BWF Superseries, further cementing their place in the pantheon of badminton.

The pair is known and revered for their nimbleness, jumping and bouncing inside the court, making for an exciting watch during matches and earning them the nickname “the Minions”.

At the age of nine, Gideon started his career at the Tangkas Jakarta club that his father founded. He got his first taste of victory in 2009 competing in the men’s singles at the Victoria International Series in Australia, and switched to doubles two years later.

As a doubles player, Gideon is known as a strong defender with the speed to cover forward players while also being able to fire strong shots. In 2020, Gideon opened his eponymous badminton training school in Bogor, West Java. He said it was built to realise the dream of his father, who is also a badminton athlete turned coach.