Windy Cantika Aisah is an Indonesian weightlifter who made her international in 2019 in the Philippines by competing in the women's 49 kg and winning the gold medal.

Born 11 June 2002, the young athlete is most known for her gold medal victory at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's 49 kg event.

In 2021, Aisah won a bronze for the snatch at the 2020 Asian Championships, and later she won the gold medal in her event at the 2021 Junior World Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Windy cantika aisah? (@windycantika11)

The memorable Tokyo win

Aisah qualified to represent Indonesia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She climbed the podium after collecting points with a total force of 194 kg in the women's 49 kg weightlifting event while competing at the Tokyo International Forum.

This is the first medal for Aisah at the Olympics. She has been competing for the top three since the snatch class. Getting three chances, she had the best lift of 84 kilograms and took fourth place.

In the Clean and Jerk class, Aisah took advantage of a mistake by the U.S. representative so that she finished third and was entitled to a bronze medal.

"Alhamdulillah [Praise be to God], I am very happy. At the age of 19, I have participated in the Olympics. I can also bring home a medal. Alhamdulillah, very grateful," said Aisah after her victory.

Aisah revealed that her results are mainly due to Indonesian weightlifting coach Dirdja Wihardja. She said that at the beginning of participating in this event, she had never targeted a medal and did not expect to be able to contribute a medal for Indonesia — all she did was simply follow what the coach told him to do.

"What the coach tells me, I do just that. We didn't target any medal at all. It was important for me that I do what my coach told me to do," she explained.

"The key is perhaps Pak Dirdja's encouragement earlier," he said. "Don't be discouraged. I remember he said that," she added.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Windy cantika aisah? (@windycantika11)

Support system
According to Dirdja himself, the results achieved by the weightlifting athlete are thanks to the cooperation of all parties.

"It is clear is that we are very proud that Windy Cantika is our next generation of weightlifting. At the age of 19, she has been able to give the best for the nation and country. Hopefully, in the future, she can do even better," he hoped.

The national coach Dirja Wihardja noted that Aisah's performance almost matched that of veteran Sri Wahyuni, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. On top of her discipline, her family also fully supports her career. In an interview, Dirdja revealed that Aisah's mother enforces proper management of diet and sleep, which she believes is an integral part of becoming a successful athlete.