Rizki Juniansyah makes weightlifting look light and easy in this undated handout photo from the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). Rizki beat out compatriot Rahmat Erwin on April 4, 2024 at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, to clinch a spot for Indonesia at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. (Courtesy of IWF/Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia)
W
ith 98 days to go until the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics opens on July 26, Indonesia’s national sports associations are intensifying their training sessions for athletes who are heading to the world’s most prestigious multisport event in the French capital.
Among them is the Indonesian Weightlifting Association (PABSI), which has at least two athletes with confirmed spots at Paris 2024: veteran lifter Eko Yuli Irawan and Olympic debutant Rizki Juniansyah.
PABSI had stepped up both athletes’ training regimen and deployed a team of nutritionists, doctors and physiotherapists to help them get into peak condition, team manager Pura Darmawan told The Jakarta Post on Wednedsay.
“We have prepared everything to the fullest,” he continued. “Since this is the [Olympics], we are certainly paying attention to all factors, from the athletes’ physical to mental conditions, as well as sharpening their mindset.”
Eko became the first Indonesian weightlifter to clinch a ticket to Paris in the men’s 61-kilogram category early this month, when he won a silver medal at the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
The Paris Games will be Eko’s fifth Olympics outing after winning a medal at all four of his previous appearances: a silver medal at both Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 and a bronze medal each at London 2012 and Beijing 2008.
Read also: Ministry disburses billions for Indonesia’s Olympics preparation