Badminton phenomenon Jonatan Christie – known to his many fans as ‘Jojo’ – is one of the world’s leading badminton players and a viral sensation. With over 1.8 million Instagram followers, Christie has become the golden boy of badminton and is an idol in his home country of Indonesia, but the talented player is more than just an internet smash hit – he’s also a strong candidate for the gold medal in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021.

Christie became an internet star when he whipped off his shirt after taking the badminton men’s singles gold medal for Indonesia at the 2018 Asian Games. In 2009 he appeared in the film King – directed by Ari Sihasale about the iconic Indonesian badminton player Liem Swie King – in a supporting role, and was offered other movie roles which he turned down so he could concentrate fully on his badminton career.

Christie smashed onto the international scene in 2013 when he was 15, and beat the more experienced Alamsyah Yunus in the final of the Indonesia International Challenge to clinch his first senior title. The young shuttler quickly became known for his powerful, dead-on smash and has been compared to the legendary Liem Swie King. Also known for his agility and lightning speed, he had clocked up an impressive tally of 207 career wins by the end of 2019 and established himself in the Top 10 ranked players in the world. Christie is already a hero to his legions of fans, who will all be behind him when he goes for gold in Tokyo.