Hendro, representing the West Java contingent at the Games, secured a gold medal after clocking one hour, 35 minutes, and 38 seconds in the match held at the Kuala Kencana Complex, Mimika, Papua, on Saturday.
Yogyakarta racewalker Bayu Prasetyo bagged the silver medal after recording a walking time of one hour, 37 minutes, and 50 seconds, while the bronze medal was secured by Mursalim Bahri, who represented West Sulawesi, by clocking one hour, 41 minutes, and 13 seconds.
Hendro, with three racewalking gold medals in the earlier PON Games editions, easily surpassed his competitors at the start of the race and dominated the match until crossing the finish line.
After the conclusion of the match, Hendro expressed dissatisfaction over his latest PON achievement, as he failed to break his own PON and national record despite having won his fourth PON gold medal. His PON record is one hour, 28 minutes, and 53 seconds, while his national record is one hour, 28 minutes, and 24 seconds.
The racewalker believes that he failed to perform to his utmost ability at the PON XX games owing to the long hiatus from racewalking competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his recent recovery from typhus.
"I am not satisfied with my performance in this PON, as my racewalking time record is abysmal. The intensive preparations that I made proved futile owing to my declining health condition," Hendro stated.
Hendro, born in Medan, North Sumatra, in October 1990, has vowed to intensify his practice and preparations for the 2021 SEA Games hosted in Vietnam scheduled for 2022.
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Translator: Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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