High Hopes for Indonesia in Olympic Sports

The 2018 Asian Games has boosted Indonesia’s optimism that it can compete in Olympic sports. However, militancy among athletes, coaches and sports federations’ officials in training and development will be crucial.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Indonesian rowers contribute a gold medal in men’s lightweight eight (LM8+) at the Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) Lake in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Friday (24/8/2018). Uzbekistan won the silver medal in the event and Hong Kong won the bronze.

PALEMBANG, KOMPAS – Indonesian rowers have boosted the entire nation’s hopes that it will be a major Asian force in rowing. The host country won gold in men’s lightweight eight (LM8+), its first gold in Asian Games rowing, at the Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Friday (24/8/2018). This served as a national milestone in Olympic sports, along with achievements in badminton and weightlifting.

In other Olympic sports, such as archery and gymnastics, Indonesian athletes also showed their competitiveness. Female archer Diananda Choirunisa, 21, advanced to the finals in women’s individual recurve and ensured that Indonesia would attain its first Asian Games medal in archery since the 1994 Games in Hiroshima.

This was impressive as Choirunisa defeated archery superstars in her quest for gold, including 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Chang Hye-jin from South Korea and world champion Lei Chien-ying from Taiwan.

“She had displayed her talents since she was just a junior [athlete]. She joined our training camp in 2013, when she was still in high school,” Indonesian Archery Association (Perpani) secretary-general Alman Hudri said on Friday.

It is hoped that Choirunisa wins gold in the finals on Tuesday (28/8). If she achieves this, Persani said that her future training would focus on the 2020 Olympics. “Athletes win gold by design. It must be well-planned and cannot be expected out of the blue,” Indonesian archery coach Denny Tresyanto said.

Similarly, Indonesian athletes are marking the beginning of a new era in gymnastics, often called “the mother of all sports”. Rifda Irfanaluthfi’s silver in women’s floor and Agus Adi Prayoko’s bronze in men’s vault were the first two Asian Games gymnastics medals for Indonesia. Indonesian gymnasts had not participated in the Asian Games since 1986.

The gold in rowing was also the fruit of hard work since 2011. Rowers consistently trained for seven years before finally winning gold in LM8+ at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakabaring Lake on Friday.

The long-term athletes’ development program was reflected in Dutch rowing coach Boudewijn van Opstal’s statement. After Indonesia won five golds, one silver and three bronzes in the 2013 SEA Games, Van Opstal said, “I believe the smallest details in planning are key to winning in increasingly tight competitions in South East Asia and Asia,” he said.

Van Opstal is involved in improving Indonesian rowing training camp’s programs. He is known for his demands of athletes’ commitment in working extra hard. Detailed plans will boost athletes’ conviction that they could be the best. “It used to be that many athletes were too relaxed. I will not have that. I want everyone to train harder, be more disciplined and more professional. Only this will lead to achievements. After two years [2011-2013], I think we’re beginning to show results,” he said at the time.

Planned achievements

Now, after seven years, the long-term development has brought gold. Some of the rowers in Indonesia’s LM8+ team, for instance, have trained since 2005, while others joined in 2010 or later. “Only with a continuous training can we talk about winning in Asia. This pattern should be implemented in all sports,” Indonesian rowing coach Dede Rohmat said.

Indonesia’s LM8+ team comprises Ardi Isadi, Ali Buton, Ihram, Tanzil Hadid, Ferdiansyah, Muhad Yakin, Rio R. Darmawan, Jefri Ardiant and Ujang Hasbulloh as cox. They raced persistently against Uzbekistan, which had led in the beginning. Tanzil Hadid said the gold was the result of years of hard work and trial competitions against foreign athletes.

Apart from a gold medal, Indonesia also won silver in men’s lightweight four (M4X) and one bronze from women’s four (W4-). Thus far, Indonesian rowers have contributed one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.

Indonesian rowing team manager Budiman Setiawan said that sports development could not be done in an instant. If the government wants to maintain medal achievement in the 2022 Asian Games, training programs should be held one month after this year’s Asian Games ends.

Unfortunately, Budiman said, Indonesia’s preparations ahead of international sporting events like the Asian Games were often on-and-off and filled with blood and tears. The government is oftentimes half-hearted in giving attention to Olympic sports, which can make the nation proud. A real example, Budiman said, was that Van Opstal had yet to receive his salary since January this year.

Budgeting woes are also found in gymnastics. Team manager Dian Arifin said that a limited budget had forced the Indonesian Gymnastics Association (Persani) to choose between priorities in sending athletes to world championships. Rifda had three opportunities. Agus, Armartiani and Samsul Arifin each had two. Six other gymnasts only had one each. “They all have to participate in world championships. It is the best way to foster their fighting spirit,” Dian said.

On the other hand, there is no special training ground for the national training camp (Pelatnas) and Persani is forced to decentralize. Agus has trained in Petrokimia’s gymnastics club in Surabaya under trainer Indra Sibarani since 2000. Despite being called on to join the Pelatnas, his training was centralized in East Java.

Rifda trains in Jakarta under former gymnast Eva Novalina Butar Butar. Her progress has been monitored since the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.

(SAH/KEL/JON)