JAKARTA, May 18 — Indonesian mixed-doubles badminton ace Tontowi Ahmad hanged up his racket today, more than a year since his partner, Liliyana Natsir, retired from the sport.

Tontowi, 32, and Liliyana, 34, had denied Malaysia’s hopes for a first Olympic gold medal in 2016, when they defeated Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, 21-14, 21-12, in the finals in Rio.

"That was the highlight of my career. I have won the Olympic gold medal, which is the greatest achievement for an athlete,” he said in a statement today.

Liliyana announced her retirement in January 2019, and Tontowi later paired with Winny Oktavina Kandow. — Bernama