Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed pride over the success of young lifter Rizki Juniansyah, who made history as the first Indonesian lifter to clinch a gold medal at the Olympics.
This win brought home the second gold for Indonesia in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"Rizki Juniansyah presented the second gold medal for Indonesia from the men's 73 kg weightlifting sport," the president wrote on his X account @jokowi on Friday.
Juniansyah recorded a total lift of 354 kg with a snatch lift of 155 kg and a clean and jerk lift of 199 kg.
"He broke the Olympic record for the clean and jerk lift and became the first Indonesian weightlifter to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Thank you Rizki, congratulations!" Jokowi stated.
The 21-year-old lifter was born in Serang, Banten, on June 17, 2003, and became the 15th Indonesian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He made weightlifting the third sport to win an Olympic gold medal after badminton with a bronze medal and speed climbing with another gold medal.
Juniansyah was the first Indonesian lifter to clinch the Olympic gold medal after 24 years of his seniors' constant battle to win in six Olympics. For the first time since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Indonesia secured two gold medals.
Since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, weightlifting has always contributed Olympic medals to Indonesia.
At that time, one silver medal was presented by Raema Lisa Rumbewas and two bronze medals from Sri Indriyani and Winarni, all female lifters, complemented the gold medal won by the men's badminton doubles pair Tony Gunawan/Candra Wijaya, as well as two silver medals won by the women's singles player Minarti Timur and the men's singles player Hendrawan.
Another silver medal was clinched by Raema Lisa Rumbewas at the 2004 Athens Olympics and lifter Eko Yuli Irawan's consistent contribution in securing medals from four Olympics, from 2008 in Beijing to Tokyo 2020.
