There are two more gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at stake, especially in the Cross-Country/XC category. If Indonesian paragliders are able to clinch yet another gold in this category, then they would be able to exceed their target to grab two gold medals.
Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi has set a target to win two gold medals from the paragliding events. So, if they win another gold from the remaining two gold medals up for grab, it would be an exceptional achievement.
The Indonesian team is determined to take the third position in the XC events. "We will do our best to make achievement in the XC event. We are optimistic to achieve at least the third position in Big Three," Indonesia`s Paragliding National Team Coach, Gendon Subandono, noted at the Gunung Mas Paragliding venue, Puncak, Bogor District, West Java, on Saturday.
Paragliding has started to be contested in the XC category as the last paragliding event contested in the 18th Asian Games. Cross-Country has two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at stake, each in the men`s and women`s team classes.
Initially, according to Subandono, the Indonesian national team virtually did not set a target in the XC category, as it did not have much experience competing in that number.
The toughest opponents in the XC event are Korea, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, and Thailand, which have seasoned paragliders with flying experience in that category.
"We have never competed head-to-head, but after seeing our potential, we are optimistic about achieving the Top Three between Korea and Japan," he noted.
Subandono remarked that the strategy that will be played in the XC event is to fly as best as possible by adapting to the wind and weather condition, in order to compete with Korea, Japan, and Nepal.
Their previous achievement to grab two gold, one silver, and one bronze medals made the Indonesian national team members optimistic to face rivals in the following competition.
On Day Six of the Asian Games 2018 on Thursday, Indonesia grabbed its second gold medal in paragliding after Jafro Megawanto won the men`s individual accuracy. Subandono revealed that the country`s paragliding team has met the target set by the Youth and Sports Ministry to win two gold medals.
"Alhamdulillah (thank God), we earned another medal. May the achievement encourage all Indonesian athletes who are now struggling," he stated.
Minister Nahrawi, Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Yuyu Sutisna, in his capacity as chief of the Indonesian Aero Sport Federation (FASI), and the federation`s vice secretary general, Agung Sasongko, placed the medals around the necks of the winners after they won them.
Previously, Indonesia had grabbed one gold medal in the men`s team accuracy and one silver medal in the women`s team accuracy. The bronze medal was clinched by Rika Wijayanti in the women`s individual event.
Meanwhile, the Paragliding Sports Match Manager, Wahyu Yudha, said that the XC number was followed by 70 athletes from 15 countries.
He explained that in this number, every athlete must complete the task given by the committee. The task given is to explore the air. "Every athlete must fly to the points determined by the committee," he added.
Athletes must complete assignments with flying distances that are adapted to weather and wind conditions. If both conditions are good, the pilot can fly 50 kilometers.
"If the weather and wind are not good enough, the distance would be less than 50 kilometers," he noted.
The XC Number consists of five rounds, and one round can be completed one day. The task of the athlete is to try to make the parachute in the air explore the points that have been determined. "The faster the task completes, the higher the value," Wahyu exlained.
In the meantime, until noon, on Day Seven, Indonesia had won 10 gold medals, two from paragliding, one from rowing, one from speed climbing, one from weightlifting, two from cycling, one from wushu, one from taekwondo, and one from tennis.
Indonesia is hosting the 18th Asian Games 2018 in two cities of Jakarta and South Sumatran Provincial Capital of Palembang from Aug 18 to Sept 2, 2018.
At this is the world`s second biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics, around 15 thousand athletes from 45 countries will compete in 462 events across 40 sports, of which 32 are Olympic sports.
The Olympic sports are Aquatics, Athletics, Fencing, Weightlifting, Basketball, Handball, Badminton, Baseball/Softball, Cycling, Equestrian, Golf, Wrestling, Hockey, Judo, Karate, Canoeing and Kayaking, Sailing, Shooting, Modern Pentathlon, Archery, Sport Climbing, Rowing, Rugby, Gymnastics, Roller Skating, Football, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Boxing, Triathlon, and Volleyball.
The non-Olympic sports are Bowling; Bridge; Cricket; Kabaddi; Martial Arts, including Jujitsu, Kurash, Pencak Silat, Sambo, and Wushu; Mechanical Sports, such as Paragliding and Jet Skiing; Squash; and Sepak Takraw.
Indonesia`s target is to make it to the top 10 by winning a minimum of 16 gold medals.
Editing by Eliswan
Reporter: Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
