The Sweet Fruits of Our Labor

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

President Joko Widodo awards national taekwondo athlete Rosmaniar Defia with a gold medal on Sunday (19/8/2018) after the women\'s individual pomsae class final at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Jakarta. Rosmaniar won Indonesia’s first gold at the 2018 Asian Games when she defeated Iran taekwondo athlete Salahshouri Marjan.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Tiered athlete development and continuous training has borne fruit in Indonesian taekwondo. Female taekwondo athlete Defia Rosmaniar, 23, won Indonesia’s first gold medal in the poomsae event at the 2018 Asian Games on Sunday (19/8/2018).

Defia’s victory serves as proof that results will never betray well-planned development. Defia, who has won in regional tournaments in Bogor and across West Java, was selected by a talent scout from the Indonesian Taekwondo Association (PBTI) to join the national training camp (Pelatnas) in 2012. She was removed from Pelatnas twice. However, due to her hard work and persistence, she was asked to rejoin.

She then enrolled in the mid-term Pelatnas in 2016. This helped her improve her skills, until she finally won the first taekwondo gold for Indonesia in this year’s Asian Games, ending the PBTI’s 32-year gold drought in the pan-Asian sports event.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Indonesia taekwondo athlete Rosmaniar Defia smiles and holds aloft the national flag as she completes her victory run on Sunday (19/8/2018) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Jakarta. Rosmaniar defeated Iran taekwondo athlete Salahshouri Marjan in the women\'s individual pomsae class final to clinch the first 2018 Asian Games gold for Indonesia.

Asia has remained dominant in taekwondo. With her gold medal, Defia has helped Indonesia improve its status in Asian and global taekwondo championships.

“The PBTI has prepared [itself] for the Asian Games for quite some time. We seek talented athletes from various regions and train them intensively in our Pelatnas. We dream that Indonesia will be globally recognized in taekwondo,” said PBTI chair Marciano Norman.

Defia did not find any difficulties going through the round of 16 and quarterfinals. Having participated in a training camp in Jakarta with a South Korean coach and then in a five-month training camp in Seoul under Asian Taekwondo Union professor Tae Seong-jeong, Defia easily overwhelmed her opponents.

ANTARA FOTO/INASGOC/SUNYOTO

Indonesia taekwondo athlete Rosmaniar Defia (right) poses for a photograph on Sunday (19/8/2018) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Jakarta, as her mother Kaswati, 54, holds up the gold medal she won in the women\'s individual poomsae class at the 2018 Asian Games.

Defia defeated Hong Kong’s Wong Ka Yiu in the round of 16. She then won against her Vietnamese Southeast Asian (SEA) Games opponent Tuyet van Chau in the quarterfinals.

Defia was tested in the semifinals, when she faced South Korean Yun Ji-hye. As a 2017 Universiade champion, Yun is being prepared by her country to become a world champion. In the first demonstration, Defia lagged behind with 8.440 to 8.500. Yun was at the top of her game and Defia’s minor mistake cost her points.

However, Defia later proved her mettle. In front of the thousands of spectators, including President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Defia performed wonderfully in her second demonstration. She showed great balance on one foot and powerful hits and kicks.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Indonesia taekwondo athlete Rosmaniar Defia waves the Red and White in celebration after defeating Iran taekwondo athlete Salahshouri Marjan on Sunday (19/8/2018) in the women\'s individual pomsae class final at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Jakarta. Rosmaniar has won the first Indonesian gold at the 2018 Asian Games.

However, Yun was unable to perform several balancing moves perfectly and her feet were seen trembling several times. In the second demonstration, Defia got a score of 8.600, bringing her average to 8.520. Yun scored 8.300, bringing her average to 8.400.

This boosted Defia’s confidence in the finals, where she faced Iranian Marjan Salahshouri. She led from the start, with a score of 8.690 from her first demonstration. Salahshouri’s moves were not perfect and she scored 8.470.

“I am happy to present the first gold medal to Indonesia. I dedicate my gold medal to my late father, my mother, my coaches and all Indonesians,” Defia said.

South Koreas won two golds from  the men’s individual (from Kang Min-sung) competition and the men’s team. The gold in the women’s poomsae team was secured by Thailand.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Indonesia taekwondo athlete Rosmaniar Defia (right) competes against Iran taekwondo athlete Salahshouri Marjan in the women\'s individual pomsae class final on Sunday (19/8/2018) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Jakarta. Rosmaniar claimed the first 2018 Asian Games gold for Indonesia.

Minimal preparation

Meanwhile, due to minimal preparations and participation in competitions, Indonesian wrestlers were unable to achieve their target. In the freestyle wrestling event on Sunday (19/8), national wrestlers exited the competition early.

Four Indonesian wrestlers were defeated in the first round across five classes at the Assembly Hall in the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). Ardiansyah Darmanshyah (65 kilograms), Rizki Dermawan (74 kg), Fahriansyah (86 kg) and Ronald Lumbantoruan (97 kg) did not last more than five minutes as they lagged 10 points behind their respective opponents.

Only Eko Roni Saputro (57 kg) made it to the quarterfinals. Eko was on top for a while against Chinese Liu Minghu, 4-2. However, he was less agile and was eventually defeated, 5-10.

Wrestling coach Zulhaidir said the athlete’s poor performance was due to minimal participation in international competitions. In the eight months the athletes spent in Pelatnas, they did not take part in any competition.

“This is why they looked very confused during the matches. They also had stage fright as they’ve rarely competed,” Zulhaidir said.

The only international events the wrestlers participated in was a training camp and a competition trial in Bulgaria in May this year. Reflecting on the experience, Zulhaidir said that Indonesian wrestlers should participate in six or seven international competitions in a year.

“Our wrestlers only participated in one competition, namely the national championships,” he said.

The last international competition the wrestlers participated in was the 2013 SEA Games.

In the four competitions thus far, namely men’s trap, women’s trap, 10-meter air pistol and 10-m air rifle at the Shooting Arena in Jakabaring Sports City, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesian athletes lagged far behind their foreign opponents.

Air pistol athlete Deny Pratama said many Indonesian shooters were nervous during the matches as they lacked competition experience. In the shooting Pelatnas, many had only participated in two or three international tournaments.

“We need to take part in many more [international tournaments]. Only then can we be accustomed to meeting strong opponents,” Deny explained.

In developing shooting as a sport, Indonesia should learn from other countries. Chinese air pistol gold medalist Ji Xiaojing, 30, said that shooting athletes began training early in her country. Many middle schools, high schools and universities have shooting clubs.

“I have been shooting since I was 13 years old,” Ji said.

Chinese Taipei athlete Ling Yingshin, 19, and Lu Shaochuan, 21, who won gold in the 10-m air rifle competition, shared Ji’s opinion.

“Though shooting is not a popular sport, the development remains well-planned, sustainable and can produce capable athletes,” said Chinese Taipei Shooting Association president Chen Shyhkwei Chen.

(ECA/KEL/DRI)