INDONESIA made new history by winning two gold medals in two sports that had never previously contributed gold medals at the Olympics.
The two gold medals were won by Veddriq Leonardo from the speed rock climbing category and Rizki Juniansyah from the men’s 73 kilogram weightlifting category.
Former Indonesian badminton athlete who won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Greysia Polii, felt very touched and proud to see various major breakthroughs in Indonesian sports on the world stage, even though at this year’s Olympics, Indonesian badminton had to fast from winning a gold medal.
“Today, 8.8.2024, Indonesia finally got 2 gold medals from rock climbing and weightlifting!!!,” said Greysiadi, quoted from his personal X account, Saturday (10/8).
Through the X account, Greysia revealed that she was in tears when she saw this extraordinary achievement, especially because the gold medal that was won did not come from badminton, which has been Indonesia’s mainstay in the 2024 Olympics.
“How can I not cry when I see Indonesia’s increasingly advanced sporting achievements! Praise God, thank you to the leaders of Indonesia who have served with their hearts from then until now,” said Greysia with great emotion.
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The 36-year-old woman said winning an Olympic gold medal is every athlete’s dream but to achieve it, it requires a lot of struggle and commitment.
He also recalled the difficult times when he was disqualified from the 2012 London Olympics, a bitter experience that made him feel abandoned and marginalized.
“In 2012 after I was disqualified from the London Olympics. Mr. Erick Thohir (CDM) & Mr. The late Djoko Santoso (PBSI Chairman) met me and said ‘Greys, if we go against the IOC regulations now, badminton will be threatened with not being competed in the next Olympics’,” he recalled.
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The gold medalist at the 2020 Olympics explained that at that time, badminton was the only sport that was expected to contribute gold.
“They said while shedding tears ‘If badminton is held, what other sports can Indonesia expect in the Olympics?’ We are all devastated, this is a whip for us, the leaders of this nation. Please be patient, Greys, let’s rise together for Indonesia,” he said.
The moment left a deep impression on Greysia. Although she initially felt very hurt and sad, for the common good of all parties, Greysia gave in to take a break from the global sporting event.
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“In my heart, with feelings that still can’t accept it and also still thinking about logic, I asked myself. So, am I the one being sacrificed? As a great nation, is it only badminton that is able to contribute gold medals? No way, it can’t continue like this,” he said.
Even though he did not take part in the 2012 Olympics, he never thought about hanging up his racket but continued to fight and train to achieve success in the next Olympics.
“From there, I was determined to be able to repay with my achievements in badminton and join in praying, joining in supporting so that other sports in Indonesia continue to progress,” he added.
Greysia added that she did not feel hurt by Erick Thohir and Djoko Santoso’s words, but rather by her own situation. She thanked them for taking responsibility for the Indonesian team’s failure and not staying silent.
“I was hurt by the situation that befell me at that time. However, we can all see, there will always be a good end result,” he wrote. (Z-1)
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