Indonesian badminton star Kido dies of heart attack

JAKARTA -- Indonesian shuttler Markis Kido, who won the 2008 Beijing Olympic doubles gold with Hendra Setiawan, died of heart attack on Monday evening.

The 36-year-old athlete suffered a cardiac arrest when he was playing badminton in a sports center in Tangerang district, Banten province.

The Indonesian government has paid a tribute to Kido, who was one of the world's leading shuttlers in the men's doubles event.

"We all have lost one of Indonesia's badminton heroes. His departure was indeed so fast and quite surprising. We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Markis Kido at the very young age of 36," the Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali said at a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

"He has made many championship achievements both at the Asian and world levels. His fighting spirit can be an example for his badminton successors," Amali added.

During his career, Kido and Hendra Setiawan also won the 2007 BWF World Championships in Kuala Lumpur and the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.