Bekasi: Pinang Desak Made Rita Kusuma Devi checked her clothes, her brow was dripping with sweat and her breath was hot, she held her arms and swung her body up to the scale of the wall in a matter of seconds.
The 23-year-old is preparing for next month’s Paris Olympics, where she hopes to add to Indonesia’s modest gold medal haul – the country has won just eight in badminton.
But in recent years, the Southeast Asian archipelago has been recognized as a potential powerhouse on the rise, setting records and winning several medals at well-known international events.
Climbing is a three-sport event that will participate in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 for the first time. Paris 2024 will see the steeplechase become a separate event for the first time.
Competitors climb a standardized 15-meter (50-foot) standing course, and the person who reaches the top in the fastest time, usually a few seconds, wins.
“As it gets closer, I don’t want to think about anything else,” Desak, one of the two Indonesian climbers to qualify for Paris so far, told AFP after training at the national team’s facility outside the capital Jakarta.
“I’m just focused on the Olympics.”
Indonesian climbers have excelled in the form of speed, because their height usually gives them speed and agility. Behind the success is pure dedication and teamwork.
“If we keep crying because of the lack of height, we won’t be able to compete,” national climbing coach Hendra Basir told AFP.
“That’s why we focus on our strengths as small people. We are given flexibility.”
Desak has been on the rise since childhood and had the opportunity to fulfill her Olympic dream by winning the women’s gold medal at last year’s world championships in Switzerland.
Joining Desak for gold in the French capital will be Rahmad Adi Mulyono, 23 years old.
“Of course I feel bad, but I have nothing to lose at the moment,” he told AFP.
The two decided to ride speed instead of lead and stone, two other climbing routes featured in Tokyo.
“I’m optimistic. The first thing I need to do is improve myself, focus and reduce training time every time,” said Rahmad.
Hendra said, the athletes have been training for many years to ensure Indonesia’s chance to win the Olympic gold medal, which has not been successful in world sports.
“We have gone through a long process since 2019, starting with the Tokyo Olympics, not to mention the (pandemic) break,” the coach said.
Although speed skating lags behind football and badminton in terms of sports attention at home, it is growing in popularity.
But the local sports industry remains underdeveloped for speed climbing and other climbing disciplines, with athletes often leaving high walls behind.
“God willing, there is hope that the Indonesian team can compete for the gold medal in the Olympics, but the process to actually get to this point is very difficult,” said Hendra.
There is optimism that the promise of speed will translate to the walls of Paris.
Former world record holder Weddrick Leonardo could qualify for the Games if he performs well in Hungary later this month.
“Of course, we hope that speed skating can be an unexpected success as the first sport in the Olympics,” Indonesian National Olympic Committee head Raja Sapta Oktohari told AFP.
“This sport has a world champion. I hope Indonesian athletes can succeed and make new history in the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he said.
But the competition will be tough. Wedrick’s world record of 4.90 seconds was beaten twice by American Samuel Watson in April and is now 4.798 seconds.
Despite the expected pressure and weight, Desak is ready to give it his all.
“I hope my dream of listening to Indonesia Raya (National Anthem) at the Olympics will come true.”
“My dream is to win a gold medal.”
