Since she was a child, Ranomi Kromowidjojo has known she has Indonesian blood. Yet, the three-time Olympic gold medalists has not had a chance to search for her ancestors, who were from Central Java. Only in the middle of August, Ranomi landed for the first time in Indonesia.
By
Rakaryan Sukarjaputra
·5 minutes read
Since she was a child, Ranomi Kromowidjojo has known she has Indonesian blood. Yet, the three-time Olympic gold medalists has not had a chance to search for her ancestors, who were from Central Java. Only in the middle of August, Ranomi landed for the first time in Indonesia. She enjoyed soto ayam (chicken soup), which she said tasted more delicious than the one in her country, the Netherlands.
“Since I was a kid, I have known I have Indonesian blood, perhaps, from my looks. [But] I am taller than most Indonesians. My father is very tall. My grandmother is also tall for an Indonesian. My father likes to speak Javanese, but I cannot. I like eating fried rice and soto ayam,” said the swimmer, who was born in Sauwerd, the Netherlands, on Aug. 20, 1990.
Along with her family, Ranomi has tried to find the origins of her ancestor. Only recently, her family was informed their ancestors were from Probolinggo, East Java, and Banyumas, Central Java.
“Unfortunately, my visit was very brief. Tonight, I have to fly back home. Surely, I will return and visit Central Java,” said Ranomi, who holds the 22:93 seconds record for 50 meters free stroke swimming set during the 2017 world championship in Berlin.
Ranomi’s father, Rudi Kromowidjojo, who once worked in Suriname and moved to the Netherlands after Suriname became independent in 1975, has visited Indonesian once.
“Next year, we plan to come here and visit Central Java. I also want to visit Bali and Yogyakarta,” she said.
Although she was only in Indonesia 48 hours, Ranomi, who is preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, enjoyed her visit.
She has read about Indonesia, so the country is not completely foreign to her.
“Here, I can eat satay, fried rice and soto ayam. I am very surprised, soto ayam here is very delicious, much more delicious from the one in the Netherlands,” she said laughing.
Ranomi was in Indonesia to offer motivation to Indonesian swimmers competing in the 2018 Asian Games at the Aquatic Arena, Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex, in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/8/2018).
Since the age of 8
Ranomi, who is 180 centimeters tall, has been swimming since she was 8 years old in her home city of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. She has won three medals: in the Europe Swimming Championship’s junior category in 2005 and 2006 in the 50 meters free and butterfly strokes.
Then, she competed in the senior category and her international debut was in the Europe Swimming Championship in Budapest in 2006. Ranomi won the medal in the senior category, namely the 4x100 free stroke relay, along with Inge Dekker, Chantal Groot and Marleen Veldhuis at the age of 15 years old.
From there, the swimmer, who specializes in sprint, collected medals. She grabbed gold medals from the 2009 World Championship in Rome and 2011 World Championship in Shanghai, China, both in the 4x100 free stroke relay.
Ranomi also grabbed the gold medal in the individual category in 2011 World Championship in Shanghai and 2013 in Barcelona, Spain and 2015 in Kazan, Russia, all in the 50 meters free stroke.
“It takes years to be able to win a gold medal. I exercise almost every day and never get bored. I feel comfortable in the water. Water is my habitat,” she said.
The way she swims looks perfect, with her shoulder and upper back always above the water, or as her trainer calls it, “floating”. That’s why several Indonesian swimmers and trainers look amazed to watch Ranomi swimming at the Aquatic Arena.
When she was asked by trainer Felix C Sutanto to make her start, Ranomi dove and showed her strength underwater. With only a few kicks, Ranomi torpedoed through the water. It was not surprising that the swimmer, who studied at Business School Notenboom, Eindhoven, recorded 23:85 seconds for the 50 meters free stroke in the long pool.
“I want to make another record at the 2020 Olympic. That’s why I keep practicing. My rivals in Japan are not easy. Sarah Sjostrom [from Sweden] is the holder of the 50 meters free stroke. Her record time is 23:85 seconds, not far from my best time of 23:85 seconds. That is why I believe I can be faster than her,” Ranomi said.
For Indonesian swimmers, Ranomi offered motivation as well as advice. With Indonesian blood and the surname Kromowidjojo, Ranomi also wants to help Indonesian swimmers develop their skills. It is also a chance for Ranomi to find traces of her ancestors, she said.
“I find the name Kromowidjojo is still widely used. I hope I still have family in here. It would be very pleasing,” Ranomi said.
Born: Sauwerd, the Netherlands, Aug. 20, 1990
Parent: Rudi Kromowidjojo and Netty Deemter; second child in a family
Profession: Swimmer, member of Dutch national swimming team with specialization of free and butterfly stork
Achievement: Two gold medals in 2012 London Olympic; one gold medal in 2008 Beijing Olympic; one gold medal in 2013 World Championship in Barcelona; one gold medal in 2011 World Championship in Shanghai; one gold medal in 2009 World Championship in Rome; three silver medals in 2015 World Championship in Kazan; three silver medals in 2017 World Championship in Budapest