Jakarta: Indonesia’s Tokyo Olympics women’s doubles gold medalist – Greysia Pollii has officially retired from professional badminton. The 34-year-old ended her career with a farewell ceremony on the last day of the 2022 Indonesia Masters tournament at the Istora Senayan Stadium.
“I can’t believe I am able to go this far. The journey of 30 years of playing badminton is definitely not easy. But my love for the sport and the love I got from all Indonesian fans gave me the courage to keep fighting and to give my best as long as I can,” said Polii in her farewell speech.
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For Polii, she used to feel bad when she was not able to win at certain tournaments. However, that changed when she was able to capture the Olympic gold medal, that for her was enough to heal the sadness of various defeats and failures in the past. Winning the Olympic gold was the most beautiful gift for her before hanging up the racket.
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Polii also admitted that she owed a lot to her family. After her retirement, she would spend more time with her family. When asked if she has any plans to become a coach, Polii said: “The coach is someone who truly dedicates him or herself not only to the family but also to the athletes. It required 100% commitment. For now, I’m not ready to be a coach just yet. Maybe in the future.”
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The Jakarta-born Polii said she would take a break for the next one to two months, then, she’ll start focusing on her own business.
“In the last few years, I have started my own business. Because I know the career length of an athlete is very short, that’s why I’m currently working on something that’s not related to badminton.”
Polii also celebrated the farewell event with exhibition matches featuring 18 top badminton players such as Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Hendra Setiawan, Jonatan Christie, Wang Chi Lin, Tai Tzu Ying, Thinaah Muralitharan, Shin Seung Chan, Jongkolphan Kititharakul, Misaki Matsumoto, Huang Dong Ping, Ashwini Ponnappa, Gabriela Stoeva, Yuta Watanabe, Wang Yi Lyu, Sapsiree Taerattanachai, Chen Qing Chen, Jia Yi Fan, and Lee Yang.
