Indonesia's Rezza Octavia competes on Aug 1, 2024, during the archery women's individual elimination round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. Rezza failed to cruise from Round of 16 after being defeated 6-0 by South Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon. – AFP
JAKARTA: Indonesia is pinning its hopes of a gold medal on lifters and climbers in the remaining half of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with slim chances that the badminton team will win.
The weightlifting squad, comprising of Rizki Juniansyah, Eko Yuli Irawan and Nurul Akmal, is seen as a strong medal prospect.
Additionally, the newly introduced sport of speed climbing offers hope through Veddriq Leonardo and Rahmad Adi Mulyono in the men’s division and their women’s counterparts Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi and Rajiah Salsabillah.
Indonesia's chief de mission for the Paris Olympics Anindya Bakrie remains optimistic about the country’s chances as many athletes have yet to compete.
"Based on [the available] data, our bet [for the gold medal] is indeed in weightlifting and sport climbing, but we cannot overlook the potential of our swimming and athletics teams, who have yet to compete," Anindya said in a statement on Thursday (Aug 1).
Anindya also highlighted the archery team, with Dinanda Choirunisa, Rezza Oktavia and Arif Dwi Pangestu still in the competition.
Indonesia's first-ever Olympic medal, a silver, was earned by the women's archery team of Lilies Handayani, Nurfitriyana Saiman and Kusuma Wardhani, who finished second behind host South Korea at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
The country aims to surpass this achievement in Paris despite the elimination of the women's team after losing to China.
The remaining events are the individual women's recurve and mixed recurve. Diananda will compete in the women's individual recurve against Indian archer Chajan Khaur in the Round of 16 on Saturday.
On Friday (Aug 2) afternoon, Diananda and Arif were eliminated from the mixed team event by Indian archery pair Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara 5-1 in the qualifier for the quarterfinals.
Rezza was eliminated on Thursday afternoon after losing 6-0 to South Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon in the Round of 16 at the Esplanade des Invalides.
The loss came just under 30 minutes after Rezza defeated Canadian archer Virginie Chenier 6-2 in the Round of 32.
Indonesia has consistently won medals in weightlifting since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with a total of seven silvers and eight bronzes.
Veteran lifter Eko Yuli Irawan, a four-time medallist who will compete in the men's 61-kilogram category, is expected by spectators to earn gold in his fifth Olympic appearance. Rising star Rizki Juniansyah also has a high chance of winning the men’s 73-kilogram category in his first Olympics.
The newly introduced event of speed climbing offers another potential gold medal for Indonesia. Veddriq, who defeated the world's top climber, and Desak, the reigning world champion, are the nation's hopes.
"Considering the historical success of Indonesian weightlifting and the recent surge in speed climbing, there's a real opportunity to bring home gold," said Djoko Pekik Irianto, a sports professor at Yogyakarta State University (UNY).
Ousted Indonesia’s hopes of snagging a gold medal from badminton suffer from severe setbacks despite the country sending nine shuttlers, the largest contingent of the Indonesian Olympic squad.
Indonesian shuttlers have consistently bagged gold medals since the sport’s first Olympic competition at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Only at the 2012 London Olympics did Indonesian shuttlers fail to win a single medal.
This time around, the task seems to be getting more Herculean as Gregoria Mariska Tunjung is the only shuttler remaining in the competition after defeating South Korean shuttler Kim Ga-eun 21-4, 8-21 and 23-21 in the Round of 16.
Gregoria next faces Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand in their quarterfinal match on Saturday (Aug 3).
Two prominent shuttlers Jonatan Christie and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting were unexpectedly ousted from the competition during the Round of 16 in the men's singles, a stage that Indonesian representatives have consistently passed.
Men’s doubles pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto failed to continue to the semifinals after succumbing 24-22 and 22-20 to China's top seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
As of Thursday, almost half of Indonesia’s 29 athletes in 12 sports had been eliminated, including Rifda Irfanaluthfi, the country's first gymnast in the Olympics.
Rifda competed at the Bercy Arena in Paris despite a knee injury and had to be assisted by her coach, former gymnast Eva Novalina Butarbutar.
The Indonesian National Olympics Committee (NOC) confirmed Rifda's return home on Thursday.
"These losses are undoubtedly challenging. We must face this with a strong head and conduct a thorough evaluation to improve our performance," Anindya said.
Next matches Despite early setbacks, Indonesia's Olympic journey is still ongoing, with several promising athletes remaining in the competition.
Indonesian archers are slated for the next stage matches from Thursday to Saturday. Climbers will hit the wall from Aug 5 to 9, while lifters will compete from Aug 7 to 11.
The swimming team will splash into action at the Paris La Defense Arena on Friday. Athletics will hit the track on Saturday. Cycling events are also on the horizon, starting on Aug 8. Spectators are eagerly waiting for the upcoming matches, hoping Indonesia's athletes will deliver strong performances. – The Jakarta Post/ANN
