First of all it is because their medal collection target has been met and to their surprise, the target has also been exceedingly surpassed, which is commendable.
Secondly, it is because pessimism was earlier expressed by some quarters in the country that Indonesia will not be able to perform well in the Games.
They were pessimistic since during the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, held only a year ago, the country had performed poorly.
At the 29th SEA Games, Indonesia had finished fifth. It won only 38 gold, 63 silver, and 90 bronze medals out of a total of 406 gold, 402 silver, and 526 bronze medals coveted by 4,888 athletes from 11 member countries.
Indonesia now has a reason to be proud, as until the 13th day of the Games on Friday (Aug 31), or two days ahead of its closing, it had been able to collect 30 gold medals, while the target was set at only 16 gold medals, or finishing 10th. In addition, it has also won 23 silver and 40 bronze medals to make the total number of medals earned to 93 to rank the country fourth after China, Japan, and South Korea.
A total of 40 sports are featured at the Asian biggest multi-sport event involving 15 thousand athletes and officials from 45 countries, which is higher than in the previous 17th Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea, in which there were only 36 sports involving 13 thousand athletes and officials.
The results of the Asian Games 2018 events certainly have brought satisfaction to the people of Indonesia, as the results had surpassed their expectations.
Indonesian pencak silat athletes have, so far, contributed the maximum gold medals to make the country emerge as the overall champion of the sport branch in the Games.
Indonesia won 14 gold medals from 16 pencak silat events and one bronze medal in the Games.
"We thanked all athletes. You are all great achievers and have promoted the country. We are proud of you," Prabowo Subianto, chairman of the executive board of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association, noted in response to the achievement.
He expressed hope that pencak silat would be featured in the Olympic Games in 2020.
"Our target in the future is that pencak silat will be competed in the Olympic Games," he noted.
Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi has pledged to take efforts to make the idea a reality in the Olympic Games in 2020.
"We must indeed fight. We have made it being competed in the Asian Games, and so, it is time now for us to fight, so that the sport will be showcased in the Olympic Games 2020. To this end, we have already lobbied the Japanese sports minister as well as the vice president of the Tokyo Olympic Games so far," he noted.
He said it is no problem if countries were opposing it in view of Indonesia`s domination in the sport.
"Talking about domination, which sport branch is not dominated by a country," he questioned.
With all the achievements in the 18th Asian Games, Indonesia may now turn its attention to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 with greater confidence. It has indeed prospective athletes to compete in the world event.
So far, several Indonesian athletes have been able to have their names recorded as bronze, silver, and also gold medalists in the Olympics history.
At the last Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016, Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir had won a gold medal in the mixed doubles badminton event, while other Indonesian athletes -- Sri Wahyuni Agustiani and Eko Yuli Iriawan -- won silver medals respectively in the women`s 48kg class and men`s 62 kg class in the weightlifting event.
Indonesian athletes have also carved their names in Olympics history through archery.
Lilies Handayani, Nurfitriana Saipan, and Kusuma Wardhani together won a silver medal in the Olympic Games in South Korea in 1988 in the women`s team archery event.
Promising athlete Diananda Choirunisa won a silver medal in the women`s individual recurve event at the 18th Asian Games, while Riau Ega Agata Salsabila secured a bronze medal.
President Joko Widodo, who watched the event, had called on the two athletes to not be discouraged by their failure to win a gold medal.
"The president hoped they would not give up. There is still hope, and 2020 is waiting," Sports Minister Imam Nahrowi remarked after accompanying the president at the event.
President Widodo had appealed to the archers to keep on fighting, as Indonesian archers had ever won a silver medal in the Olympic Games, so it is not impossible for them to clinch a gold medal in the event at the next Olympic Games.
Choirunisa was beaten by Xinyan Zhang from China 3-7, while Salsabila was defeated by Ilfat Abdulloh from Kazakhstan 2-6.
Indonesian athletes have also performed remarkably well in the sport of climbing at the 18th Asian Games, collecting three gold out of the six being coveted, two silver, and one bronze medal in the men`s and women`s speed, combined, and relay events.
As a new sport branch, climbing will be competed in the next Olympic Games in Tokyo. With the achievement in the 18th Asian Games, Indonesia certainly has a right to pin its Olympic hopes also from the sport branch.
Edited by Ine
Reporter: Yoseph Hariyadi
Editor: Otniel Tamindael
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
