Number one: Indonesian rowers Anwar Tarra (left) and Yuda Firmansyah celebrate victory after reaching the finish line in the men’s doubles 1,000 meter canoeing race during the 30th SEA Games at Malawaan Park in Subic Bay, the Philippines, on Dec
umber one: Indonesian rowers Anwar Tarra (left) and Yuda Firmansyah celebrate victory after reaching the finish line in the men’s doubles 1,000 meter canoeing race during the 30th SEA Games at Malawaan Park in Subic Bay, the Philippines, on Dec. 6. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
Through sweat, blood and tears, Indonesia’s athletes battled in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines for the glory of Indonesia
After almost two weeks of competition, Team Indonesia came home with 72 gold medals, 84 silvers and 111 bronzes in the bag.
It claimed fourth place in the medal tally after overall champion and host the Philippines (149 gold, 117 silver, 121 bronze), second-placed Vietnam (98 gold, 85 silver, 105 bronze) and third-placed Thailand (92 gold, 103 silver, 123 bronze).
Indonesia managed to climb into second place on Dec. 7 and 8 only to find that Vietnam caught up in the next day.
Sports glory cannot be built within days.
With limited funding and half-hearted support from the government, which rarely prioritizes sports development, the athletes nonetheless did their best to make their fellow Indonesians proud.
Athletes are often unsung heroes in Indonesia, left to fight their battles alone — getting help only from supporting coaches and sports officials. And for that, we will be forever grateful.
Thank you, champions!
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