resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo congratulated the 28 Indonesian athletes who participated in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the State Palace on Wednesday.
"On behalf of the people, the government congratulate and thank all the athletes for their struggles at the Olympics in Rio and the maximum results achieved," Jokowi said.
During the prestigious sports event, the Indonesian contingent ended its medal hunt with one gold and two silver medals. A gold medal garnered by Tontowi “Owi” Ahmad and Liliyana “Butet” Natsir in the badminton mixed doubles, which was considered a sweet gift for the 71st anniversary of the country's independence on Aug. 17.
The silver medals came from weightlifters Sri Wahyuni Agustiani in the women's 48 kg and Eko Yuli Irawan in the men's 62 kg.
"At the 2012 Olympics in London, we got two medals, one silver and one bronze. Now we garnered two silvers and one gold as this was a result of long hard work," the President said.
Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi and chef de mission Raja Sapta Oktohari, who is also chief of the Indonesian Cycling Federation (ISSI) led the contingent to the State Palace. After a marching parade from the Youth and Sports Ministry on Jl. Gerbang Pemuda, they arrived at the palace at 9:10 a.m.
Raja shook hands with Jokowi and gave the President a bracelet as a souvenir from the Olympics. Owi and Butet, the gold medallists, followed Raja, and later Sri and Eko too shook hands with Jokowi.
Team Indonesia, sitting 40th in the medal tally, regard Rio di Janeiro as one of the toughest destinations in which to compete against the world's top athletes. More than 11,000 athletes from 207 countries participated in the event, in 28 Olympic sports including new editions golf and rugby.
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