ART + CULTURE

INDONESIAN SPORTSWOMEN WITH INTERNATIONAL GOLD MEDALS

Get to know some of Indonesia's sportswomen who have brought the country's name to international prominence by winning gold medals.

17.05.2022
BY JACKSON KEEFE
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Indonesia has a rich history of competing in international sports. Though top sportsmen have led several victories in worldwide championship games, there are also Indonesian female athletes who have represented Indonesia in the Olympics and other international games - here's a list of the remarkable sportswomen.

Defia Rosmaniar, taekwondo athlete

 
 
 
 
 
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Defia Rosmaniar won Indonesia's first gold medal at the 2018 Asia Taekwondo Championship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in women's individual Poomsae, Taekwondo.

After defeating Marjan Salahshouri from Iran, then 27-year-old Rosmaniar scored 8,690 - 8,470 in the final match. She started training in 2007 after being encouraged by her brother. The competition was her first appearance at the Asian Games.

Rosmaniar's win was witnessed by President Joko Widodo, who attended the match at the Jakarta Convention Center. "I am grateful to all Indonesians who have shown their support for me, now I've become a champion. Thank you," Rosmaniar said. Defia dedicated her victory to her father.

Tiara Andini Prastika, mountain biker

 
 
 
 
 
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Tiara Andini Prastika presented Indonesia with a gold medal in the women's downhill event on Monday, August 20, 2018. She finished in 2 minutes and 33.056 seconds at the 2015 Asian Championships. In the 2018 Asian Continental Championships, she won third place in the Philippines despite being injured during the competition.

"This is my first gold at the Asian Games. I am very happy, all my hard work has paid off," Prastika said after the competition.

The Union Cycliste Internationale ranks Rosmaniar as 16th in women's downhill cycling. She started her training back when she was 16 years old in Semarang, Central Java. However, it was not until 2017 did she decided to become a professional cyclist. She left her studies in accounting and signed a contract with Patrol, an Indonesian bike maker brand.

Lindswell Kwok, wushu athlete

 
 
 
 
 
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Indonesia's third gold medal was won by Lindswell Kwok, a native of Medan, North Sumatra. She gave two winning performances in Wushu in the 2018 Asian Games, finishing with 9.75 points in the "Tai Ji Jian" and "Tai Ji Quan" categories. Shortly after the win, President Joko Widodo labelled her “Southeast Asia's wushu queen".

Kwok started Wushu training in 1999. Prior to the 2018 Asian Games, she has won five world championship titles and four Southeast Asian Games championships in a row since 2011. Unfortunately, 2018 was her last Asian Games.

"This will be my last Asian Games … I've been doing wushu since I was a small child, so I can't just simply let go. Whenever I see someone training or competing, I want to do it too, but now I need to rest," Kwok said.

In the future, she hopes to become one of the Wushu coaches to help Indonesian Wushu athletes triumph internationally.

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