Bittersweet Reality of Life in Vietnam Competition

Surprises are commonplace at the 2021 SEA Games. Like the reality of life, Indonesian athletes interpret the ups and downs in Vietnam. Odekta won gold, while Windy lost it.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Indonesian runner Odekta Elvina Naibaho shows a note of gratitude after winning the gold medal at the SEA Games Vietnam 2021 marathon number at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday (19/5/2022).

HANOI, KOMPAS — Life is full of surprises. It is not always happy or sad. The reality of life is racing at the SEA Games Vietnam 2021. When Indonesian marathon runner Odekta Naibaho, 30, made amends by winning a gold medal, lifter Windy Cantika Aisah, 19, had to endure disappointment because she failed to maintain her performance.

Windy had to live with this expectation, which is inversely proportional to reality. Indonesia’s female lifter in the 49-kilogram class returned empty-handed on Thursday (19/5/2022) from the Hanoi Sports Training Center in Vietnam.

After offering hope in the 86 kg snatch, which equaled the SEA Games record, the defending champion did not win any medals. Windy surprised spectators when she failed in her three attempts in the 100 kg clean and jerk and dropped out of the medal competition.

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For the bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, her performance in the 100 kg clean and jerk was below the standard. The coaching team used that weight only to secure medals. Previously in early last May, Windy lifted 102 kg at the World Junior Championships. She also won the 110 kg event at the Olympics.

However, yesterday, she had a lot of difficulty with the jerk position in the 100 kg even. “(I) just got back from the (Junior) World Championships. Maybe I’m tired. Also, I have injuries to the back, hip and shins," said Windy, who had just become the junior world champion.

Due to a hip injury, Windy had to change her stance during the jerk. She shifted her legs so they were parallel, instead of apart as usual when doing the lift. She wasn't familiar with the technique yet.

However, that was the reality. Windy was aware that she couldn't always be at the top. She must learn to accept failure.

"No athletes are always at the top. There are injuries, there is fatigue. There could be many factors due to injury. The point is, this is not my [normal]," she said.

KELVIN HIANUSA

Indonesian lifter Windy Cantika Aisah (19) failed to win a medal at the 2021 SEA Games Vietnam. At the previous SEA Games, Windy won a gold medal.

Her loss was not solely due to Windy's performance. There were other factors in Vietnam. The threat came in the form of Thai lifter Khambao Surodchana, who returned to the competition after a doping case. She won gold with a total lift of 198 kg (88 kg snap and 110 kg clean and jerk).

Surodchana broke the SEA Games record in all three categories of snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift. Surodchana, who is more muscular, even surpassed Windy's record of 194 kg when she won the Tokyo Olympic medal.

Dirdja Wihardja, the head coach of Indonesia’s weightlifting team, said Windy's main target was not the SEA Games, but the Paris 2024 Olympics. So, her main focus was on qualifying for the Olympics in November 2022. The experience in Vietnam will be a major evaluation material for Windy.

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According to Dirdja, the coaching team will create a program so Windy can lift up to 112 kg in the clean and jerk. Windy had achieved this weight earlier in her training.

"I'm sure she can. In 2020 alone, it was like that. Later, we will return to it through the previous program," he said.

On the other hand, the reality of life brought happiness to Odekta. She won the marathon gold on Thursday morning at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi. This achievement made up for the female athlete’s mistake in just missing out on the marathon gold at the Philippines SEA Games in 2019.

Learning from her mistakes 600 meters before the finish line three years ago, Odekta devised a new strategy. She has now claimed the gold that had eluded her by finishing with a record of 2 hours, 55 minutes and 27 seconds. She beat her competitor, Christine Hallasgo (Philippines), who finished second with a time of 2 hours, 56 minutes and 6 seconds.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

IIndonesian runner Odekta Elvina Naibaho is welcomed by members of the Indonesian team after entering the marathon finish at the 2021 SEA Games Vietnam at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday (19/5/2022). Odekta presented a gold medal to Indonesia by winning the number.

Making up

In the Philippines in 2019, Odekta had led the competition, but fell 600 meters before the finish line, and Hallasgo went on to win the marathon gold. "I want to correct my mistakes first. After failing to win gold, this is [my] penance," she said.

According to Odekta, her mistake in the Philippines was that she was impatient and ambitious. In fact, in running a marathon, the runner who finishes first is not the fastest runner, but the one most skilled in reading the entire course of the race. Now, Odekta said she had learned about her opponents and their abilities.

While running, Odekta almost suffered cramps because she was slightly provoked by her opponents' pace. Luckily, she was able to control herself and continue the race without injury. Odekta refused to be provoked by her opponents' pace, deliberately suppressing her emotions and ambition. She did not want to repeat her mistakes in the Philippines.

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The great burden and pressure of going for gold also affected Odekta's mentality. Until the last day of the athletics competition, Indonesia had only won one gold before the marathon event, which was contributed by women's shot put athlete Eki Febri Ekawati.

In fact, Indonesia is targeting eight gold medals in athletics, higher than the five golds it achieved at the Philippines SEA Games. "The pressure was quite big for me, because my [fellow teammates] had won just one gold," said the 2021 Borobudur Marathon champion.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.