I

ndonesian long-jump star Maria Natalia Londa got off to a bumpy start to her Olympics trip, catching a fever on Tuesday evening as a result of time and weather differences in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

She is said, though, to now be on the mend.

Coach I Ketut Pageh said Maria’s fitness had dropped on Tuesday afternoon during a training session. Initially, the coach wanted the athlete to wrap up the session early, but Maria refused, insisting on completing the day’s training as scheduled.

By end of the day, Maria, who will carry the Red-and-White flag in the Olympics’ opening ceremony, returned to the Olympic Village to receive medical treatment and a good rest. Maria was recuperating by Tuesday evening.

“Normally, [Maria] would need two days to recover [from a fever]. Nevertheless, we have to push it a little harder to keep her on track with our training program,” Pageh said in a statement.

Indonesians have learned that Rio is a tough destination for sporting competition, lying almost a full day’s flight from Jakarta, and with a 10-hour time difference. In terms of weather, nevertheless, Rio is slightly cooler at 25 Celsius degrees daytime average, against more than 30 degrees in Jakarta.

Aside from that, Rio also carries the threat of the Zika virus, which is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito – the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

Recent robberies of the Australian and Danish teams in the athletes’ accommodation complex, known as the Olympic Village, pose a further challenge to participants in the quadrennial event, which is the pinnacle of multi-sport showdown.

In the field, Pageh admitted that Maria would face strong competitors from around the world in the women’s long jump, which will be held Aug. 17 to 18.

“[The competition will be] tough for [Maria] because we also faced a six-month delay in preparations at home because the facilities weren’t ready. Maria is also on her way back to her peak,” said Pageh.

Maria’s left tendon was injured after competing in Singapore’s Southeast Asian Games in 2015, where she won a gold medal for jumping 6.7 meters and qualified for the summer games.

“Regardless, Maria is confident, and she will give her best,” added the coach.

World stars including 2012 London Olympic gold medalist Brittney Reese of the US have reached a 7-m jump; Reese has jumped 7.12 m.

Meanwhile, sprinter Sudirman Hadi, who was granted a wild card, was still affected by jet-lag on Thursday.

“In [Sudirman’s] first day of training, he produced 3.65 seconds from starting block to the first 30 m. His best time for that length is 3.58. He’s doing quite well so far,” said Pageh.

The men’s 100 m is scheduled on Aug. 13 to 15.

Chef de Mission Raja Sapta Oktohari said Indonesia had been given good apartments in the village. “We experienced a little leak up here, but the organizers worked quickly, within less than 10 minutes, to sort it out.”

Regarding the burglaries at the complex, Raja professed nonchalance.

“The problems were addressed in a CDM [chef de mission] daily meeting, which takes place at 7:30 a.m. every day, and the organizers promised tightened security checking,” Raja told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“The organizers are good at quick feedback when it comes to lost and found,” he added.

Outside the village, Raja acknowledged the huge support, including providing the team with drivers and chefs, from the Indonesian Embassy in Brasilia.

Given the limited facilities at the village and venues, the nation’s athletes initially had trouble sourcing proper hot meals; later on, the embassy came to the rescue with decent Indonesian hot dishes for the athletes.