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Jakarta Post

Asian Para Games: Gold medalist Rica hungry for more

Ramadani Saputra (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, October 10, 2018

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Asian Para Games: Gold medalist Rica hungry for more Rica Oktavia (The Jakarta Post/Seto Wardhana)

W

ith a satisfied look on her face, Indonesian Rica Octavia proudly showed off her gold medal after finishing first in the women’s long jump T20 category (intellectual impairment) at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta on Monday.

Suparniyati, Rica’s roommate who won gold in the women’s shot put F20, warmly welcomed Rica with a big hug when she approached her after the awards ceremony.

Beaming with pride, Rica, 25, told journalists that, in her victory on Monday, she broke the Asian Para Games record after jumping 5.25 meters. Rica’s new record is also an improvement over the score of Siti Noor Radiah Ismail of Malaysia, who earned a bronze medal when she jumped 5.20 meters at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Siti, competing in the same category as Rica in Jakarta, came second after jumping 5.18 m.

Rica said she did not expect to win the competition since she kept on failing to improve on her personal best during training camp. 

“My personal best during the camp was 5.20 m. This is beyond expectations,” Rica said.

“I practice in two sessions, in the morning and in the afternoon. The practice is hard as I have to train my power and speed.”

Rica revealed that she had trained in track and field since she was in elementary school. She said she used to train in short-distance running, such as in 100 m and 200 m, before shifting to long jump. 

In terms of international achievements, Rica won a gold medal in long jump at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games in Singapore, where she outclassed rival Siti.

Rica said winning the long jump gold made her day. On the previous day, Rica also competed in shot put along with Suparniyati, but she finished fourth after throwing for 6.38 m. 

“I’ve known Parni since 2009,” Rica said, referring to Suparniyati’s nickname. 

“We immediately became close friends that year. In 2016, when we joined the [National Paralympic Committee] training camp together, we became even closer. I am happy that we were able to fulfill our targets here at the Asian Para Games.”

Rica is the only daughter and athlete in her family. Her father makes ends meet by selling satay, while her mother is a housewife.

“I am the fourth kid. My younger brother used to practice track and field as he aspired to be a sprinter but he has stopped practicing,” she said.

As a gold medalist, Rica will be rewarded with Rp 1.5 billion (US$98,402) in cash from the government. She said she planned to pay for her parents’ haj trip with the bonus money. 

After the Para Games, Rica, determined to score better than her personal best of 5.30 m, will look to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

“I want to be better, and the biggest challenge for me is beating my own self,” she said.

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