Indonesian shuttlers Hendra Setiawan (left) and Mohammad Ahsan celebrate on Aug. 25, 2019, after winning their third BWF World Championships title in men’s doubles in Basel, Switzerland. (PBSI/PBSI)
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ndonesian veteran badminton player Mohammad Ahsan has decided to retire from professional badminton. The 37-year-old badminton player announced his retirement through his Instagram account on Tuesday.
“… Alhamdulillah [praise be to God]. The time has finally come to end my journey in the world of badminton. Thank you to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for the blessings that allowed me to come this far,” he wrote in a post on his Instagram account @king.chayra.
His decision came just a week after his men's doubles partner, Hendra Setiawan, who is now 40, also announced his retirement.
With this, the duo known as "The Daddies" are officially retiring. The 2025 Indonesia Masters, scheduled for Jan. 21 to 26 at the Istora indoor stadium at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex Jakarta, will be their final tournament.
Ahsan also expressed gratitude to his family for their unwavering support and to the coaches who played a significant role in his career, including Herry Iman Pierngadi, or Herry IP. He also conveyed his appreciation for the opportunity to compete alongside teammates such as Hendra Setiawan, Rian Agung and Bona Septano.
The announcement was met with emotion by his fellow shuttlers, including men's doubles player Fajar Alfian.
"Thank you for your dedication to Indonesia," Fajar wrote on his social media account, as quoted by Tempo.
Throughout his career, Ahsan achieved remarkable success, making him one of the most legendary men's doubles players in the world. His accolades include three World Championship titles, one Asian Games gold medal and four BWF Tour titles. Ahsan claimed three World Championship titles alongside Hendra Setiawan in 2013, 2015 and 2019. The pair also once held the world’s number one ranking.
Meanwhile, Hendra is a four-time World Champion, a two-time Asian Games gold medalist and a two-time All-England champion. He also won an Olympic gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics while partnering with the late Markis Kido.
So far, Indonesian men’s doubles pairs have brought home three Olympic gold medals out of a total eight gold medals.
Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja won the men’s doubles gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the United States followed by Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan in Sydney, Australia in 2000.
Young guns
Indonesian doubles’ pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukomuljo (left) and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon celebrate on Sunday after defeating Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in two straight sets 21-15 and 21-16 at the Axiata Stadium in Kuala Lumpur Sport City. (Courtesy of PBSI/-)
With Ahsan's announcement, the lineup of veteran Indonesian doubles pairs officially changes. Earlier in 2024, the duo "The Minions," Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, announced their retirement.
Kevin announced his retirement through his Instagram account @kevin_sanjaya on May 16 while Marcus announced his retirement on March 9 on his Instagram account @marcusfernaldig.
While the Daddies and the Minions did not win any Olympic medals, they were the most celebrated men’s doubles pairs in recent years. They have a strong following in and off the court.
The retirement of the Daddies and the Minions left younger shuttlers to fight in the men’s double event, such as pairs Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto, Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, Leo Rolly Carnando-Bagas Maulana and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Daniel Marthin.
Fajar and Rian, nicknamed Fajri, are currently the world’s number three in the BWF official ranking as of Wednesday, and strong contenders to continue the legacy of the Daddies and the Minions.
Fajri won the Kumamoto Masters, which were held from Nov. 12 to 17, and earlier won the most prestigious All England, which took place from March 12 to 17.
Meanwhile, Sabar and Reza are ranked sixth. Shohibul and Bagas are in 27th place, Leo and Bagas in 30th, Shohibul and Daniel in 34th and Leo and Daniel in 37th. (nvn)
