As many as 18 Indonesian paragliding athletes, also known as pilots, are set to snoop on their potential rivals at the 2018 Asian Games during this weekend’s test event in the Puncak highlands, West Java.

The 18 pilots will likely represent the country at next year’s multi-sport fiesta, set to be co-hosted by Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra.

Tagor Siagian, spokesman for the Indonesia Aero Sports Federation (FASI), said the three-day test event, entitled the 2nd Paragliding Asian Cross Country Competition, would be the perfect chance to get a look at possible competitors ahead of the 2018 games.

“Besides grooming the athletes, the event will also be a great opportunity for them to study pilots from China, South Korea, Nepal and Thailand — the toughest competitors in the 2018 Asian Games,” said Tagor.

At the recent 2017 World Paragliding Accuracy Championship in Albania, the Chinese team won the gold medal, outclassing Serbia and the Czech Republic. Thailand’s senior pilot, Nunnapat “Bebie” Phuchong, won the women’s gold medal.

In the meantime, Indonesia’s Rika Wijayanti won the women’s bronze medal in Albania, said Tagor.

“Rika and Ike Ayu Wulandari — both 23 years olds from Malang in East Java — are among the country’s young talents expected to continue Indonesia’s success in the sport.

“The country’s pilots took home 10 of 12 gold medals at the 2011 Southeast Asian [SEA] Games,” he added.

Around 100 pilots from 12 countries — including Australia, Japan and Malaysia — will test their wits and endurance at the Asian Cup to be held at a location 1,450 meters above sea level on Mas Mountain in Puncak.

The event will be used as a trial ahead of the sports competition at the 2018 games. The venue of the Asian Cup is the same site used for the 2011 SEA Games.

The 2017 Asian Cup Cross Country will feature a race-to-goal (RTG) event, which is rated Category 2 under International Aeronautics Federation (IAF), which means the results from the competition will be calculated for world rankings.

Hening Paradigma (Courtesy of FASI/Tagor Siagian)

Indonesian favorite, Hening Paradigma, the national record holder in the cross country event, said that she would was not aiming to set a high bar at the Puncak event.

“My focus is on mapping the skills of the Chinese and Nepalese pilots,” said Hening, also known as Digma, the holder of national record of 109 kilometers, from Wonogiri to Pati in Central Java, set in 2012. Hening broke the previous record of 72 km, which was set by Elisa Manueke in 2011.

Known for her specialty in cross country events, Hening received a sweet surprise at the Para Gliding Accuracy World Cup Series 3 in Canada last week where she and fellow Indonesian Milawati Sirin finished as champions of the open category after collecting a perfect score of zero.

Meanwhile, Phuchong, who sits at the top of the world’s accuracy rankings, said she was not focused on taking home any medals at Puncak.

“My forte isn’t cross country. I just love to gain experience,” she said.