Greysia Polii (; born 11 August 1987) is an Indonesian former badminton player specializing in doubles. She won gold medals in the women's doubles at the 2014 Asian Games, at the 2019 SEA Games and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won three bronze medals at the World Championships in 2015, 2018, and 2019. Polii is a member of BWF Athletes' Commission to represent the needs and views of athletes to the BWF council and committees from 2013 to 2017 and 2021 to 2025.
Having started her career at the Jaya Raya in Jakarta, she later was selected to join the national team in 2003. Polii represented her country in the 2012, 2016 and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also featured in the Indonesian women's winning team at the 2007 SEA Games. She reached a career high of world number 2 in the BWF women's doubles rankings alongside Nitya Krishinda Maheswari.
Polii's achievements began when she was paired with Jo Novita, winning a Grand Prix title, two silver medals at the SEA Games in 2005 and 2007, and a bronze in the 2005 Asian Championships. Together with Maheswari, she collected 2 Superseries titles, 3 Grand Prix titles, a gold at the 2014 Asian Games, a silver at the 2013 SEA Games, and bronze medals at the 2015 World and 2016 Asian Championships. She made a new partnership with the youngster Apriyani Rahayu in 2017. Together with Rahayu, she won her first women's doubles gold at the SEA Games in 2019, her first title on home soil at the 2020 Indonesia Masters, and Indonesia's first ever women's doubles gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Greysia Polii was born in Jakarta to Willy Polii and Evie Pakasi, both of Minahasa descent native to North Sulawesi. She is the third of five siblings. She lived in Jakarta until her dad died when she was only 2, and moved to Manado, where she spent her childhood. She was influenced to play badminton by her sister, and by former national player Deyana Lomban. Her talent was already apparent by the time she was six years old. Recognizing her talent, she and her mother moved back to Jakarta in 1995 for better training and a chance to develop her career as a badminton player, joining the Jaya Raya Jakarta club. She idolized Susi Susanti and Zhang Ning.
At the club, her coach Retno Kustijah noticed her talent as a doubles player, and when Polii was 14, she made the decision to switch from singles to doubles. She made it to the national team in 2003.
Career
2003–2005: Early career and National Championships title
Starting her career as a women's and mixed doubles player, Polii began to show her abilities at the age of 16. Partnered with Heni Budiman, she reached the semi-final stage in the 2003 Malaysia Satellite tournament. As a national team player, she won her first National Championships title with Budiman. The duo defeated East Kalimantan pair Indarti Issolina and Angeline de Pauw 8–15, 15–8, 15–7.
In 2004, Polii helped the national junior team win the girls' team bronze at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships and mixed team bronze at the World Junior Championships. She also claimed the World Junior silver in the mixed doubles with Muhammad Rijal, and the bronze medal in the girls' doubles with Budiman. She made her debut with the national team at the Uber Cup in 2004, where the team made the quarter-finals. Her best achievements in individual events during the year were reaching the quarter-finals at the Chinese Taipei Open and the Malaysia Open.
In 2005, Polii won bronze medals at the Asian Junior Championships in the girls' team and doubles (with Heni Budiman). In March, she and Budiman finished as the semi-finalists in the Swiss Open. Due to the hip injury suffered by Budiman at the Swiss Open, Polii made a new partnership with her senior Jo Novita in the beginning of 2005, and the duo won the bronze at the Asian Championships, as well as silver at the SEA Games. At the World Grand Prix event, the Polii-Novita partnership were semi-finalists at the Singapore and Hong Kong Open. Polii helped Indonesia reach the final stage of the Sudirman Cup, but the team lost 0–3 to China.