All-rounder Vedric Leonardo won his first Olympic gold outside of badminton, beating his rival in China by just two hundredths of a second on the 15m wall.
Vedrik’s gold is Indonesia’s first at the Paris Olympics and the ninth since the country made its Olympic debut in 1952.
“I’m very happy, very happy,” said the 27-year-old. “My heart trembled [in the competition]But when I was focused, I finished it.
Vedric completed the tower in a personal best of 4.75 seconds, ahead of China’s Wu Peng. The coach broke down in tears and said Yeni Wahid, president of the Indonesian Sports Climbing Federation, “to the point of crying her heart out.”
As Indonesians celebrated Vedrik’s Olympic victory, 21-year-old Rizki Junyaniah won the men’s 73kg weightlifting competition to deliver the country’s second gold of the day.
Junyaniah lifted a total of 354kg and won an Olympic record 199kg, defeating rivals from Thailand and Bulgaria.
Rizki Junyaniah gave Indonesia their second gold medal of the day. [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]
Rizki thanked the Indonesians for their support, saying he was “happy, proud and very happy” after winning his first gold medal.
“There are no words to describe how I feel,” the weightlifter told a Jakarta publisher. They saw me cry because it was such an emotional and beautiful experience and I look forward to the future.
Speed climb power
The Southeast Asian islands have been a powerhouse, climbing fast, breaking records and winning numerous medals at major international events.
Vedric was born in Pontianak, Borneo, Indonesia and began his sport after joining a student nature team and started climbing walls, winning the sport’s World Cup three times and breaking the five-second barrier, his first speed climb.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo was the first to congratulate X on the golden text, saying the speed-climbing master’s achievement had “brought new pride to Indonesia”.
So far, the country has won gold in badminton.
“There are no words to describe how we feel. Vedrick’s mother, Rosita Hamzah, told broadcaster Compass TV.
In the year Sport climbing was introduced at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but speed was controversially combined with bouldering and difficult disciplines, which required a completely different skill set. Paris will mark the first time that Sprint specialists will compete in their own field.
“I’m proud, very proud. The feeling was explosive,” Christores Bagascoro, a 41-year-old creative manager in the capital Jakarta, told the AFP news agency.
“We need to promote this sport more and help it develop more.”
Vedrik reaches the 15-meter wall at the end of the men’s speed climb [Michael Reaves/Pool via AP Photo]
America’s Sam Watson won bronze ahead of Iran’s Reza Alipour with a world record time of 4.74 seconds.