Ni Nengah Widiasih\'s enthusiasm was one of the keys to her success in winning a silver medal at the women’s 41 kg at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, which was also the first medal win for the Indonesian delegation.
By
ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH
·3 minutes read
KOMITE PARALIMPIADE NASIONAL INDONESIA
The 41 kg power lifter Ni Nengah Widiasih won the first medal for the Indonesian contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, at the Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan, Thursday (26/8/2021).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Female weightlifter Ni Nengah “Widia” Widiasih was one of the Indonesian athletes who were unable to take part in the 2020 ASEAN Para Games in the Philippines after the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the athlete from Bali did not lose courage. Her enthusiasm was one of the keys to her success in winning a silver medal at the women’s 41 kg at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, which was also the first medal win for the Indonesian delegation.
“I am happy and proud. This achievement fulfills my personal goal. Hopefully, this silver medal can be motivation for other friends, so that the Red-and-White [flag] can fly as [often] as possible in Tokyo," Widia said upon receiving the medal on Thursday (26/8/2021) at the Tokyo International Forum in Japan.
Widia has impaired movement in her lower limbs. Her legs did not develop properly because she contracted polio when she was 3 years old. Like the other athletes, Widia had three attempts on the bench press in the Paralympic powerlifting event.
Widia, who was born on 12 Dec. 1993, won the silver medal on lifting the best weight of 98 kilograms on her third attempt, while Chinese lifter Guo Lingling won gold with 108 kg and Venezuelan lifter Clara Sarahy Fuentes Monasterio won bronze with 97 kg on her second attempt.
Widia surpassed her best performance to date in the Paralympics, namely winnning bronze at the Rio de Janeiro competition in 2016 with a weight of 95 kg. She also improved her lifting record of 97 kg, which she achieved at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta and at the 2021 World Cup in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Her achievement in winning the silver medal has maintained her standing as the world No. 2 lifter. “Because I\'m ranked second in the world, my goal was to win a silver in Tokyo. The Chinese athletes are so tough. So I am grateful to be able to fly the Red-and-White and improve my performance and personal record. Hopefully, it will hold up until the 2022 ASEAN Para Games and the 2022 Asian Para Games," she said.
KOMITE PARALIMPIADE NASIONAL INDONESIA
The 41 kg weight lifter Ni Nengah Widiasih prepares to lift. Ni Nengah won the first medal for the Indonesian contingent at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, at the Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan, Thursday (26/8/2021).
Rima Ferdianto, secretary-general of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC), said that Widia and other Indonesian Paralympic athletes were very disappointed at being unable to compete in the 2020 ASEAN Para Games in the Philippines. They had undertaken long-term training program since early 2019 so they could appear at the event scheduled for January 2020. However, the event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"At the time, the athletes were very disappointed because they had reached their peak performance," said Rima.
According to Indonesian Paralympic weightlifting coach Yanti, Widia has a strong spirit. Her motivation never floundered in the midst of a series of obstacles, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Widia\'s success is expected to motivate other athletes to win more medals towards fulfilling the goal of bringing home one gold, one silver and three bronzes.
In table tennis, David Jacobs and Adyos Astan are paving the way towards another medal win. David secured his second victory in the TT10 category on defeating Spanish athlete Jose Manuel Ruiz Reyes, 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-4) in Group B. Meanwhile, Adyos claimed his first victory in Group A when he defeated Polish athlete Rafal Lis, 3-1 (11-5, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8).
In the cycling track event, Muhammad Fadli Imammuddin ranked 17th in the C4-C5 1,000-meter time trial on Thursday. (DRI)
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
