Several athletes faced a personal, silent fight against SARS-CoV-2 before the arrived in Tokyo to compete against their opponents.
By
AGUNG SETYAHADI FROM TOKYO. JAPAN
·5 minutes read
AFP/PEDRO PARDO
Indonesia\'s Mohammad Ahsan (L) and Indonesia\'s Hendra Setiawan (R) walk off the court after losing to Malaysia\'s Soh Wooi Yik and Malaysia\'s Aaron Chia (top) in their men\'s doubles badminton bronze medal match against during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021.
Indonesian athletes endured psychological strain in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic that was raging during their training at home before they departed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Several athletes faced a personal, silent fight against SARS-CoV-2 before the arrived in Tokyo to compete against their opponents, including badminton men’s doubles player Hendra Setiawan (36) as well as weightlifters Eko Yuli Irawan (32) and Deni (32).
Hendra, who reached the semifinals with men\'s doubles partner Mohammad Ahsan, tested positive for Covid-19 about three weeks before leaving for Japan on 8 July. Hendra was gripped by apprehension over the prospect that his and Ahsan’s tickets to the Olympics might be rescinded; tickets they had earned over the yearlong qualification tour ahead of Tokyo 2020.
Thanks to his strong self-determination in battling the virus and his prime physical state, Hendra recovered quickly. "I took all the advice from the doctor, such as sunbathing, taking vitamins, and getting [enough] rest," Hendra said before flying to Japan.
Although he recovered less than two weeks after he first tested positive for Covid-19, Hendra did not immediately allow himself to feel any relief until he was cleared to travel.
The mandatory Covid-19 tests over at least three consecutive days, in compliance with Japanese regulations, left Hendra overwhelmed with tension.
“All day Sunday [4 July, the day before athletes’ registration deadline], I was very nervous waiting for the results. I was afraid the [test] result might still be positive. If that had happened, my name would have been crossed out, even though [I] had been registered,” Hendra recalled.
VINCENZO PINTO / AFP
Silver medallist Indonesia\'s Eko Yuli Irawan stands on the podium for the victory ceremony of the men\'s 61kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo on July 25, 2021.
Hendra\'s psychological burden grew heavier when he found out that his wife Sandiani had also contracted Covid-19, even as he had to leave her behind. The situation left the couple with no choice but to call on a relative to take in their three children, twins Richard and Richelle (7), and Russell (4).
“I broke down in tears when Hendra left. I was alone in the room because I was still sick and there were no children at home either. I was just accompanied by a housemaid,” said Sandiani.
She said she recovered after 21 days in self-isolation, and that she communicated regularly with Hendra every day to exchange news about each other\'s condition.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s top medal hopeful, Eko Yuli, also endured uncertainties in the lead up to his departure to Tokyo, where he competed in the weightlifting men’s 61 kg.
“Before departure, I tested positive [for Covid-19] and went into quarantine. I surrendered [to God] and prayed,” said Eko, who won the silver medal on 25 July.
Fellow weightlifter Deni, who completed in the men’s 67 kg, was also a Covid-19 patient, which led to rescheduling his flight to Tokyo. He said the situation, coupled with a recurring injury, made him less than optimal during training and subsequently affected his performance at Tokyo.
Weightlifting team doctor Andi Kurniawan said that it had been a huge challenge to maintain the athletes’ condition amid the escalating Covid-19 caseload in Indonesia.
The Olympic athletes trained separately from all other athletes, maintaining their distance and wearing masks.
When an athlete tested positive for Covid-19, the weightlifting team adopted what Andi called the "bubble" system. The Olympic athletes trained separately from all other athletes, maintaining their distance and wearing masks. They were allowed to remove their masks only during actual training.
VINCENZO PINTO / AFP
Indonesia\'s Windy Cantika Aisah reacts as she competes in the women\'s 49kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo on July 24, 2021.
The athletes took Covid-19 tests regularly. "Because of undergoing PCR swab test too often, especially after returning from the delegation’s send-off ceremony at the State Palace, I had a nose bleed the next day," said women’s lifter Windy Cantika Aisah (19), who won bronze at Tokyo. She had contracted Covid-19 late last year.
Family support
Despite the disappointment over Hendra not bringing home an Olympic medal, Sandiani said she had been surprised by her husband’s achievement in reaching the semifinals amid all the trouble prior to the competition.
During the Tokyo Olympics, she had discarded her habit of generally staying away from Hendra’s matches.
“Usually, I would just take a peek. I got unbearably tense when I watched Hendra-Ahsan play. However, during the Olympics, I watched every match, even though it was tense,” she said, adding that she was busy answering questions from her three children while they followed their father play on TV.
After each match, she usually got in touch with Hendra, either by messaging or a video call, but not before a match, as she feared she might disrupt Hendra\'s concentration.
Recalling an experience four years ago in 2017, when Hendra was playing in a tournament with Malaysian partner Tan Boon Heong, one of the twins, Richard, fell ill, but she refrained from telling her husband.
“Richard was so sick that he had to be hospitalized. However, I decided not to tell Hendra, otherwise he would have been worried when he was about to play in the final. He found out about his son after he had come home," she said.
Seeing her husband off to Japan shortly after recovering from Covid-19, Sandiani did not have many expectations. "I just hoped he would play a good game and more importantly, that he was healthy," she said.
AP PHOTO/DITA ALANGKARA
Indonesia\'s Greysia Polii, right, and Apriyani Rahayu celebrate after defeating China\'s Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan during their women\'s doubles gold medal match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
Understanding her husband\'s profession as an athlete, Sandiani is wholly supportive of Hendra whenever he goes to a tournament. Hendra once told his wife that he would keep playing for as long as he could. He did not look at a specific age to retire. "I will play as long as I am still able," Hendra said. (IYA)
