This year, 23 Indonesian athletes will compete in seven sports at the Paralympics. Badminton and athletics are the sports with the most number of athletes -- seven each.
Meanwhile, three athletes will compete in table tennis, two in swimming, two in shooting, and one each in cycling and powerlifting.
The Indonesian National Paralympic Committee (NPC) had set four targets for the Tokyo Paralympics. Currently, two have been realized.
First, the Indonesian NPC initially targeted to send 15 athletes. The final contingent has a far greater number of athletes than the initial target.
Meanwhile, the NPC was targeting to send athletes for six sports. At the moment, Indonesia has ensured its participation in seven sports.
Now, just two targets remain -- winning one gold medal and finding a place in the top 60. The targets have been set to beat the nation’s achievement at 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.
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After the 2016 event, the Indonesian contingent had returned with one bronze medal, bagged by powerlifting athlete Ni Nengah Widiasih in the women's 41-kg class, which put Indonesia at the 76th position in the final medal standings.
Main sport
Indonesia excels in weightlifting and badminton – proven by the five medals obtained at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
And, athletes from badminton and powerlifting are also expected to win medals at the Paralympics.
Leani Ratri Oktila is one of the athletes aiming for a medal in badminton. She will play in three events – badminton women's singles SL4; women's doubles SL3-SU5 with Khalimatus Sadiyah Sukohandoko; and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 with Hary Susanto.
She already has several achievements in major competitions and even bagged six gold medals at the ASEAN Para Games.
She won three of the medals at the 2015 Singapore ASEAN Para Games in the badminton women's singles SL4; women's doubles SL3/SL4/SU5 with Sukohandoko; and, mixed doubles SL3/SL4/SU5 with Fredy Setiawan.
Meanwhile, at the 2017 Malaysia ASEAN Para Games Kuala Lumpur, she succeeded to maintain her earlier achievement. However, she won the badminton mixed doubles event with Susanto this time.
Oktila also stood out at the Asian Para Games with three gold, two silver, and one bronze medals.
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She collected one gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games in the SL3/SL4 mixed doubles with Setiawan. Meanwhile, she secured the other two at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games in the women's doubles SL3–SU5 with Sukohandoko and the mixed doubles SL3–SU5 with Susanto.
The 30-year-old also won respect at the 2017 World Championships in Ulsan, South Korea, where she picked up three gold, two silver, and one bronze medals. She earned her first world championship gold with Susanto in the SL3-SU5 mixed doubles event.
She improved on her achievement at the 2019 World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, by snatching two golds in the women's singles SL4 and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 with Susanto.
Her achievements led her to being named as the Badminton World Federation’s best athlete in 2018 and 2019.
Besides Oktila, Indonesia also has another athlete vying for gold -- Ni Nengah Widiasih, who became the contingent’s savior at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.
At the event, she delivered a 95-kg bronze-winning performance. Meanwhile, Turkey's representative Nazmiye Muratl got the gold medal with 104 kg and Zhe Chui from China earned the silver one with 102 kg.
To prepare herself for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, she has participated in several championships with great results amid this year.
She bagged a gold medal in the women's 41-kg event at the World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, in May this year by registering 96 kg in her third trial.
About a month later, Widiasih also took part at the Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She made third place in the 49-kg women's event after lifting 97 kg.
Indonesia is also expecting table tennis player David Jacobs to win medals. Jacobs, who had won bronze in table tennis’ men's singles class 10 at the 2012 London Paralympics, will participate again this year.
Most in history
Fourteen male and nine female Indonesian athletes will compete at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. The number is the highest in the history of the nation’s participation at the event.
Indonesia debuted at the 1976 Toronto Paralympics. At the time, Indonesia had sent 12 male athletes and had won two gold, one silver, and six bronze medals to finish at the 26th position.
Four years later, in the 1980 Arnhem Paralympics, the Indonesian contingent increased to 15 male athletes. However, the nation slipped to the 28th position in rankings, with two golds and four bronzes.
When the 1984 Paralympics took place in New York, United States, and Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom, the Indonesian contingent comprised just eight athletes -- six male and two female. At the event, Indonesia was ranked 41st in the event, with one silver and one bronze win.
The next Paralympics was held in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. With a team of 17 male and two female athletes, Indonesia won two silver medals and ended 43rd.
While Indonesia did not participate at the 1992 Barcelona and Madrid Paralympics, four years later, it sent one athlete to the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, but did not win medals.
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Indonesia continued its participation without winning any medals in the next three editions -- the 2000 Sydney Paralympics (four male athletes), 2004 Athens Paralympics (three male athletes), and 2008 Beijing Paralympics (two male athletes and one female athlete).
Finally, David Jacobs brought back the medal-winning tradition with a bronze at the 2012 London Paralympics. At the time, Indonesia sent three male and one female athletes to finish on the 74th position.
The achievement was maintained at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics. Indonesia sent nine athletes to the event and won one bronze medal, earned by Ni Nengah Widiasih, to finish 76th in the rankings.
Hence, this year's contingent, which is the largest sent by Indonesia so far, is expected to help get maximum results and secure one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals to erase Indonesia's four decades without a Paralympic gold medal.
On Saturday, Minister of Youth and Sports, Zainudin Amali, conducted a virtual send-off ceremony for the contingent and encouraged them to put up their best fight for the event.
Good luck, Indonesia!-
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Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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