Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin secured a badminton gold medal for Indonesia at the Asian Games 2026, defeating China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 18-21, 21-13, 21-18 in the men’s doubles final at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
How Leo and Daniel Secured the Men’s Doubles Gold Medal
The final began as a tense, hard-fought battle between the Indonesian pair and China’s Liang and Wang. Although Leo and Daniel fell behind early in the opening game, they clawed their way back to level the score at 18-18. However, a wayward shot from Daniel sailed wide down the stretch, allowing Liang and Wang to edge out a 21-18 victory in the first game.
Refusing to back down, the Indonesian duo—popularly known by fans as “The Babies”—regrouped with aggressive intent for the second game. They established an 11-8 advantage by the interval. Following a brief break to wipe away sweat, Liang and Wang mounted a brief response to close the gap to 9-11, but Leo and Daniel quickly pulled away. Their relentless attack left the Chinese pair with no answers, closing out the second game comfortably at 21-13 to force a deciding rubber game.
The Deciding Third Game and Championship Point
The gold medal match came down to a razor-thin margin in the final game. Neither side gave an inch as the score remained separated by just two points during the early exchanges. Leo and Daniel managed to seize an 11-9 lead at the changeover.
Maintaining their momentum through a grueling baseline rally, the Indonesian pair extended their advantage to 12-9. Moments later, a powerful smash from Leo pierced through their opponents’ defense to make it 13-9. From that point onward, Leo and Daniel stayed comfortably ahead, holding off late pressure to seal the final game 21-18 and claim Indonesia’s third gold medal of the multi-sport event.
Indonesia’s Badminton Campaign at the 2026 Asian Games
This dramatic victory pushed Indonesia’s badminton medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games to a total of two gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals. The nation’s other gold medal on the badminton courts came from the men’s team event. With these strong performances across the tournament, Indonesia’s overall medal standing positioned the country at number 15 in the regional table.
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