After a somewhat lackluster start at the Summer Olympics, Indonesian athletes finally thrilled their fans by securing two gold medals in a single day of competition!
The first to make Indonesia's anthem echo through distant Paris was climber Veddriq Leonardo. This wasn't exactly a surprise, as Indonesian athletes are considered some of the strongest in this sport. Indonesians Kiromal Katibin and now Olympic champion Veddriq Leonardo currently hold the 1st and 2nd spots in the world speed climbing rankings.
Leonardo claimed his gold in the "speed" discipline. In the final, he set a personal record of 4.75 seconds, narrowly defeating China's Wu Peng (4.77). Notably, in the battle for bronze, Sam Watson from the USA set a new Olympic record with a time of 4.74 seconds.
The second Olympic champion from Indonesia in Paris was weightlifter Rizki Juniansyah. The 21-year-old Indonesian won the gold medal in the 73 kg weight category at the 2024 Olympics, lifting a total of 354 kg (155 kg in the snatch and 199 kg in the clean and jerk), setting a new Olympic record.
Indonesia's still-serving President Joko Widodo has already responded to his athletes' success. He appeared slightly surprised by the news from Paris and struggled to answer some of the journalists' questions.
"Yes, I am very happy, I greatly appreciate this, and I think everyone is pleased with our Olympians' gold victories. I believe the country values this, and the people are, of course, very proud of such achievements," said Widodo.
He promised that the government would definitely allocate incentive bonuses to the athletes who succeeded in Paris. As for the amount, Jokowi admitted that it would be discussed in the near future: "I only learned about our gold medals this morning, so we'll talk about it later. I promise there will definitely be a bonus."
As of today, 28 out of the 29 Indonesian athletes have already competed at the Paris Olympics. The last chance to add another medal to the national team’s tally lies with Nurul Akmal. The weightlifter competes in the 81+ kg category and will take the stage on August 11, the final day of the Games.
Amel already has experience competing in the Olympics, having participated three years ago in Tokyo. At that time, the trainee of the National Training Center Kwini in Central Jakarta finished in fifth place in the over 87 kg category.
On the international stage, Amel has won medals at the SEA Games, Islamic Solidarity Games, and Asian Championships. So Indonesia has a good chance of securing another medal.
Currently, in the overall medal standings, Indonesia ranks 28th. In addition to two golds, Indonesian athletes have one bronze, which was won by singles badminton player Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. In the match for third place, her opponent, Carolina Marin from Spain, withdrew due to injury.
"It’s confusing. It feels very wrong if I find joy in someone else's suffering," said the Indonesian after being declared the winner. "It's an unfortunate event for Marin, but I don't know how to react—I certainly didn't want this to happen. Honestly, I'm grateful for the medal, but not very happy," she added.
The Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Indonesia, Raja Sapta Oktohari, stated that Gregoria’s medal was earned not just by chance, but through her fight.
Sources: kontan.co.id, ANTARA
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