“If I get carried away by emotions, my energy can be drained and I could fall behind at the end. So I really had to fight myself,” Yuda said, as quoted from a press release by the Ministry of Youth and Sports here on Thursday.
He secured the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S10 event with a time of 2 minutes and 18.22 seconds.
He broke the previous ASEAN Para Games record of 2 minutes and 25.07 seconds.
According to him, because he competed in a long-distance event for his classification, he had to remain calm and focused throughout the race.
One source of calm for the 33-year-old athlete was his memory of his family.
“My child and wife give me the motivation to become a champion. So I dedicate this gold medal to the Indonesian nation as well as to my child and wife,” he said.
The Indonesian para swimming team contributed four gold medals and broke three ASEAN Para Games records on the second day of the 2025 ASEAN Para Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on Thursday.
Besides Yuda, Maulana Rifky Yavianda emerged as the best in the men’s 50-meter butterfly S12 event, clocking a time of 27.97 seconds.
Yavianda's speed surpassed the previous ASEAN Para Games record of 30.00 seconds.
Another gold medal and record were claimed by Januari in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S5 event with a time of 2 minutes and 49.83 seconds, beating the previous record of 2 minutes and 51.20 seconds.
The other gold medal was won by Siti Alfiah in the women’s 100-meter freestyle S6 event with a time of 1 minute and 32.72 seconds.
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Translator: Michael, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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