Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo
Sukamuljo at the 2017 All England Open
Personal information
Born	(1995-08-02) 2 August 1995 (age 30) Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia
Residence	Jakarta, Indonesia
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Country	Indonesia
Handedness	Right
Men's doubles
Highest Ranking	1

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (born August 2, 1995) is a famous Indonesian former badminton player. He was once ranked the world's number one in men's doubles by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Many people think he is one of the best players of his time.

Kevin won many big titles, including the All England Open in 2017 and 2018. He also won the World Superseries Finals in 2017 and a gold medal at the Asian Games in 2018. He was part of the Indonesian teams that won gold at the SEA Games in 2015, the Asia Team Championships in 2018 and 2020, and the Thomas Cup in 2020.

With his former partner, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, they were known as "the Minions." This nickname came from their shorter height and their super-fast, bouncy playing style, just like the characters in the Despicable Me movies. Kevin and Marcus were even named the BWF Best Male Players of the Year two times in a row!

Early Life and Family

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo was born on August 2, 1995, in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. His parents are Sugiarto Sukamuljo and Winartin Niawati. Kevin is also the nephew of Alvent Yulianto, another famous badminton player who was once world number one in men's doubles.

Kevin started playing badminton very young, at just two and a half years old. He watched his dad play on a court behind their house and quickly became interested. His father found him a coach in Jember to help him develop his skills. Kevin later joined the Sari Agung club in Banyuwangi. In 2006, when he was eleven, he won a tournament called the Graha Bhakti Cup.

His parents encouraged him to join a bigger club. He tried out for a scholarship at PB Djarum, a famous badminton club, but didn't get in at first because he was small. Kevin didn't give up! He started training every day instead of four days a week. This extra effort paid off, and he finally joined PB Djarum in 2007.

At PB Djarum, Kevin first played in men's singles. But his coaches, especially men's doubles coach Ade Lukas, thought his skills would be better used in doubles. Kevin and his parents weren't sure at first, but they agreed. After a year of training in doubles, he showed great improvement and had a bright future ahead.

In January 2022, Kevin shared that he was dating Valencia Tanoesoedibjo, a businesswoman. They got engaged in August 2022 and married in Paris, France, on March 23, 2023. His teammates Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto were at the wedding.

Badminton Career Highlights

Junior and Early Senior Years (2010–2013)

At the PB Djarum club, Kevin was coached by Sigit Budiarto. He won several national tournaments with different partners. In 2011, he won a gold medal in mixed doubles at the ASEAN School Games in Singapore. He also reached the finals of an international senior tournament in Singapore, even before he turned 16.

In 2012, Kevin won the U-19 National tournament. He also earned a bronze medal at the Asian Junior Championships in boys' doubles with Alfian Eko Prasetya. By August, he was ranked number one in the BWF World Junior Ranking.

In 2013, Kevin joined Indonesia's national men's doubles team. He won a mixed doubles title at the Tangkas Specs Junior International Challenge with Masita Mahmudin. At the World Junior Championships in Thailand, he helped Indonesia win a silver medal in the mixed team event. He also won a silver medal in mixed doubles with Masita Mahmudin.

Rising to the Top (2014–2016)

In 2014, Kevin started playing with a new partner, Selvanus Geh. They quickly won their first tournament together, the Vietnam International Challenge. They also won their first Grand Prix title at the New Zealand Open. Kevin even beat the world's number one mixed doubles pair at the Indonesia Open with Greysia Polii.

In 2015, Kevin teamed up with Marcus Fernaldi Gideon because Selvanus Geh had to leave the team due to illness. This new partnership started strong, reaching the quarterfinals of the All England Open. They helped Indonesia win a bronze medal at the Sudirman Cup and a gold medal in the men's team event at the SEA Games. They also won a silver medal in men's doubles at the SEA Games.

Kevin and Marcus, now known as "the Minions," reached the final of the Chinese Taipei Open. They won their first title together at the Chinese Taipei Masters in October. By the end of 2015, they were ranked 16th in the world.

In 2016, Kevin and Marcus won the Malaysia Masters. They then won their first Superseries title at the India Open. A few months later, they won their second Superseries title at the Australian Open. Kevin also won the Indonesian Masters with Wahyu Nayaka when Marcus was injured. After Marcus recovered, they won another big tournament, the China Open. They finished 2016 ranked number two in the world.

World Number 1 (2017)

Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon won the 2017 All England Open.

In 2017, Kevin and Marcus started the year by winning the famous All England Open. This win made them the number one men's doubles pair in the world! They continued their winning streak by taking titles at the India Open and Malaysia Open.

They faced a tough challenge at the World Championships, losing in the quarterfinals. However, they bounced back, winning the Japan Open. They also won their second China Open title and the Hong Kong Open, making it six Superseries wins that year. This tied a record for men's doubles. Because of their amazing achievements, Kevin and Marcus were named Best Male Players of the Year by the Badminton World Federation. They ended the year by winning the Dubai World Superseries Finals, becoming the first men's doubles pair to win seven Superseries titles in one year.

Asian Games Gold and More Titles (2018)

In 2018, Kevin and Marcus continued their dominance. They won the Indonesia Masters, India Open, and All England Open again. They also won the Indonesia Open and Japan Open.

At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Kevin and Marcus won a silver medal in the men's team event. Then, they captured the gold medal in men's doubles, beating their Indonesian teammates Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in an exciting final.

Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon celebrating at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

They went on to win the Denmark Open, Fuzhou China Open, and Hong Kong Open. By winning eight World Tour titles in one season, they set a new record for men's doubles. For the second year in a row, they were awarded the BWF Best Male Players of the Year.

Eight World Tour Titles Again (2019)

Kevin and Marcus started 2019 by winning the Malaysia Masters and Indonesia Masters. They reached their 20th title in major tournaments. They made it to the final of the Asian Championships but lost to a Japanese pair.

In July, they successfully defended their title at the Indonesia Open and won the Japan Open for the third time in a row. They beat their senior teammates Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in both finals. They also won their third China Open title. In October, they won their second Denmark Open and first French Open titles. They finished the year by winning the Fuzhou China Open. Kevin and Marcus ended 2019 with eight World Tour titles, showing their consistent excellence.

Later Career and Retirement (2020–2024)

In 2020, Kevin and Marcus won their fourth consecutive Indonesia Masters title. In February, Kevin helped the Indonesian men's team win the Asia Team Championships. They reached the final of the All England Open but lost to a Japanese pair. Kevin had to withdraw from some tournaments in late 2020 and early 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19.

In 2021, Kevin and Marcus competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics but were eliminated in the quarterfinals. In September, Kevin helped Indonesia win the 2020 Thomas Cup, a major team championship. They also won the Hylo Open and the Indonesia Open, marking their third straight victory at the Indonesia Open. They reached the final of the BWF World Tour Finals but finished as runners-up.

In 2022, Kevin and Marcus reached the semifinals of the All England Open. Kevin was part of the Indonesian team that won a silver medal at the Thomas Cup. In September 2022, after being ranked world number one for 215 weeks, Kevin and Marcus were overtaken by a Japanese pair. They finished as runners-up at the Denmark Open.

In 2023, Kevin and Marcus continued to compete but faced some challenges, including an injury to Marcus. They reached the semifinals of the Thailand Open.

On March 17, 2024, Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo announced his retirement from professional badminton.

Awards and Recognition

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo has received many awards for his outstanding badminton career.

Major Achievements

Asian Games

Men's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Fajar Alfian Muhammad Rian Ardianto	13–21, 21–18, 24–22	Gold

Asian Championships

Men's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2019	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Hiroyuki Endo Yuta Watanabe	18–21, 3–21	Silver

SEA Games

Men's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2015	Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Angga Pratama Ricky Karanda Suwardi	12–21, 22–24	Silver

ASEAN University Games

Men's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	Dempo Sports Hall, Palembang, Indonesia	Arya Maulana Aldiartama	Vountus Indra Mawan Jagdish Singh	21–11, 18–21, 21–19	Gold

BWF World Junior Championships

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2013	Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Masita Mahmudin	Huang Kaixiang Chen Qingchen	18–21, 22–20, 21–23	Silver

Asian Junior Championships

Boys' doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2012	Gimcheon Indoor Stadium, Gimcheon, South Korea	Alfian Eko Prasetya	Wang Chi-lin Wu Hsiao-lin	20–22, 13–21	Bronze
2013	Likas Indoor Stadium, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia	Arya Maulana Aldiartama	Li Junhui Liu Yuchen	16–21, 12–21	Bronze

BWF World Tour Titles (19 wins, 6 runner-up)

The BWF World Tour is a series of top badminton tournaments. Kevin and Marcus won many of these events.

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Level	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Indonesia Masters	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Li Junhui Liu Yuchen	11–21, 21–10, 21–16	Winner
2018	India Open	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Kim Astrup Anders Skaarup Rasmussen	21–14, 21–16	Winner
2018	All England Open	Super 1000	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen	21–18, 21–17	Winner
2018	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takuto Inoue Yuki Kaneko	21–13, 21–16	Winner
2018	Japan Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Li Junhui Liu Yuchen	21–11, 21–13	Winner
2018	Denmark Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takeshi Kamura Keigo Sonoda	21–15, 21–16	Winner
2018	French Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Han Chengkai Zhou Haodong	21–23, 21–8, 17–21	Runner-up
2018	Fuzhou China Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	He Jiting Tan Qiang	25–27, 21–17, 21–15	Winner
2018	Hong Kong Open	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takeshi Kamura Keigo Sonoda	21–13, 21–12	Winner
2019	Malaysia Masters	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Ong Yew Sin Teo Ee Yi	21–15, 21–16	Winner
2019	Indonesia Masters	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan	21–17, 21–11	Winner
2019	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan	21–19, 21–16	Winner
2019	Japan Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan	21–18, 23–21	Winner
2019	China Open	Super 1000	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan	21–18, 17–21, 21–15	Winner
2019	Denmark Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan	21–14, 21–13	Winner
2019	French Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Chirag Shetty	21–18, 21–16	Winner
2019	Fuzhou China Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takeshi Kamura Keigo Sonoda	21–17, 21–9	Winner
2020	Indonesia Masters	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan	21–15, 21–16	Winner
2020	All England Open	Super 1000	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Hiroyuki Endo Yuta Watanabe	18–21, 21–12, 19–21	Runner-up
2021	French Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Ko Sung-hyun Shin Baek-cheol	17–21, 20–22	Runner-up
2021	Hylo Open	Super 500	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Leo Rolly Carnando Daniel Marthin	21–14, 21–19	Winner
2021	Indonesia Masters	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi	11–21, 21–17, 19–21	Runner-up
2021	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi	21–14, 21–18	Winner
2021	BWF World Tour Finals	World Tour Finals	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi	16–21, 21–13, 17–21	Runner-up
2022	Denmark Open	Super 750	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Fajar Alfian Muhammad Rian Ardianto	19–21, 26–28	Runner-up

BWF Superseries Titles (10 wins, 2 runner-up)

The BWF Superseries was another series of top badminton tournaments before the World Tour.

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2016	India Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Angga Pratama Ricky Karanda Suwardi	21–17, 21–13	Winner
2016	Australian Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Angga Pratama Ricky Karanda Suwardi	21–14, 21–15	Winner
2016	China Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen	21–18, 22–20	Winner
2017	All England Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Li Junhui Liu Yuchen	21–19, 21–14	Winner
2017	India Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Angga Pratama Ricky Karanda Suwardi	21–11, 21–15	Winner
2017	Malaysia Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Fu Haifeng Zheng Siwei	21–14, 14–21, 21–12	Winner
2017	Korea Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen	19–21, 21–19, 15–21	Runner-up
2017	Japan Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Takuto Inoue Yuki Kaneko	21–12, 21–15	Winner
2017	Denmark Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Liu Cheng Zhang Nan	16–21, 24–22, 19–21	Runner-up
2017	China Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen	21–19, 21–11	Winner
2017	Hong Kong Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Mads Conrad-Petersen Mads Pieler Kolding	21–12, 21–18	Winner
2017	Dubai World Superseries Finals	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Liu Cheng Zhang Nan	21–16, 21–15	Winner

BWF Grand Prix Titles (4 wins, 2 runner-up)

The BWF Grand Prix was another series of tournaments.

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	New Zealand Open	Selvanus Geh	Chen Hung-ling Lu Chia-pin	15–21, 23–21, 21–11	Winner
2014	Indonesian Masters	Selvanus Geh	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Markis Kido	17–21, 22–20, 14–21	Runner-up
2015	Chinese Taipei Open	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Fu Haifeng Zhang Nan	13–21, 8–21	Runner-up
2015	Chinese Taipei Masters	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Hoon Thien How Lim Khim Wah	21–12, 21–8	Winner
2016	Malaysia Masters	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon	Koo Kien Keat Tan Boon Heong	18–21, 21–13, 21–18	Winner
2016	Indonesia Masters	Wahyu Nayaka	Han Chengkai Zhou Haodong	21–16, 21–18	Winner

Record Against Top Opponents

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon had excellent records against many top pairs. They often won against teams like Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty from India, Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen from China, and their Indonesian teammates Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.

However, they faced tough challenges against some pairs. They had a harder time against Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang (China), Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe (Japan), Lee Yong-dae and Yoo Yeon-seong (South Korea), and Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan (China).

Players M W L Diff. Chai Biao & Hong Wei 5 3 2 +1 Fu Haifeng & Zhang Nan 4 1 3 –2 He Jiting & Tan Qiang 8 7 1 +6 Li Junhui & Liu Yuchen 13 11 2 +9 Liang Weikeng & Wang Chang 4 0 4 –4 Liu Cheng & Zhang Nan 7 5 2 +3 Liu Xiaolong & Qiu Zihan 1 1 0 +1 Liu Yuchen & Ou Xuanyi 1 0 1 –1 Chen Hung-ling & Wang Chi-lin 5 5 0 +5 Lee Yang & Wang Chi-lin 6 5 1 +4 Kim Astrup & Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 9 8 1 +7 Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen 9 5 4 +1 Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge 5 5 0 +5 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty 11 11 0 +11 Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan 13 11 2 +9 Fajar Alfian & Muhammad Rian Ardianto 10 6 4 +2

Players M W L Diff. Hiroyuki Endo & Kenichi Hayakawa 1 0 1 –1 Hiroyuki Endo & Yuta Watanabe 8 2 6 –4 Takuro Hoki & Yugo Kobayashi 15 11 4 +7 Takeshi Kamura & Keigo Sonoda 16 11 5 +6 Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik 11 9 2 +7 Goh Sze Fei & Nur Izzuddin 2 2 0 +2 Goh V Shem & Tan Wee Kiong 8 7 1 +6 Koo Kien Keat & Tan Boon Heong 3 3 0 +3 Ong Yew Sin & Teo Ee Yi 7 7 0 +7 Vladimir Ivanov & Ivan Sozonov 7 7 0 +7 Kang Min-hyuk & Seo Seung-jae 3 2 1 +1 Kim Gi-jung & Kim Sa-rang 2 1 1 0 Ko Sung-hyun & Shin Baek-cheol 4 2 2 0 Lee Yong-dae & Yoo Yeon-seong 3 0 3 –3 Supak Jomkoh & Kittinupong Kedren 3 3 0 +3

Images for kids

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  Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon celebrating at the 2018 Asian Games men's team semifinals