At a glance

• 55.34 seconds: Rifky’s winning time
• 0.10 seconds: his winning margin over Uzbekistan’s Dmitriy Khorlin
• 103 athletes in 12 sports: Indonesia’s team size
• 7 gold medals: Indonesia’s target for the Games 

Maulana Rifky Yavianda said he wanted to stop chasing targets. Then he won a gold medal by 0.10 seconds, about as long as a quick blink.

Maulana Rifky Yavianda, an Indonesian para swimmer, won Indonesia’s first gold at the Asian Para Games 2026 by taking the men’s 100m freestyle S12 final at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium in Japan on Monday, October 19, 2026. He finished in 55.34 seconds. S12 is a class for swimmers with a visual impairment. The Games run from October 18 to 24.

What happened in the men’s 100m freestyle S12 final?

Rifky won in 55.34 seconds. Dmitriy Khorlin of Uzbekistan finished second in 55.44. Genki Saito of Japan took bronze in 57.54, which was 2.20 seconds behind the winner. Shamil Shahov of Qatar was fourth in 58.81. The race came down to Rifky and Khorlin.

In para swimming, athletes are grouped into classes by their level of vision, so races stay fair.

Before the Games, Rifky said he wanted to drop the pressure of a gold-medal target. He wanted to enjoy swimming the way he did when he first started. He also hoped to get close to 53 seconds. He did not get there. But 55.34 is faster than the 55.53 he swam to win the same event in Hangzhou. So he defended his title and beat his own time.

That is the twist. The swimmer who said he would not chase the gold ended up with it. 

Why does Indonesia’s first gold at the Asian Para Games 2026 matter?

Indonesia sent 103 athletes in 12 sports. The team is aiming for seven gold, eight silver and 17 bronze medals. The goal is a top-10 finish in the medal table. Japan is hosting for the first time, with 45 National Paralympic Committees taking part. 

The target is harder this year. Para chess gave Indonesia 10 of its 29 golds at the last Asian Para Games, and it is missing from the 2026 programme. Other sports have to fill the gap. The pool did it on day one. 

Erick Thohir, Indonesia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, announced the win on Instagram. His post shows a gold medal turning slowly against a burnt-orange background, under the word EMAS in thick gold letters.

The medal also gives the team a number to build on. Before Nagoya, Indonesia had won 76 golds in Asian Para Games history, while Thailand had 91 

Who is Maulana Rifky Yavianda?

Rifky is one of Indonesia’s most reliable para swimmers. At the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, held in October 2023, he won gold in both the 100m freestyle S12 and the 100m backstroke S12. He also won several golds at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games.

For readers outside sport, the lesson is simple. Rifky did not win by adding pressure. He won by taking it off. He swam his own race, and the clock did the rest.