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Basketball captain Arki Dikania Wisnu puts Indonesian hoops on the map
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Calling the shots: Arki Dikania Wisnu charges on the break while playing for Indonesia. (Courtesy of Arki Dikania Wisnu) (Courtesy of Arki Dikania Wisnu/Courtesy of Arki Dikania Wisnu)
N
em>National basketball team captain Arki Dikania Wisnu took the country’s basketball scene to new heights as he led the team in a showdown against Southeast Asian hoops powerhouse the Philippines in the gold medal match of the 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi.
The members of Indonesian national men’s basketball team, including its captain Arki Dikania Wisnu, were holding their breath as the squad held on to a narrow 83-81 lead with 3 seconds remaining against the defending champions, the Philippines, during the finals of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games men’s basketball tournament in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri Stadium on May 22.
Abraham Grahito sank both free throws with the gold medal on the line, after Philippine big man Jeth Troy Rosario Utanes fouled the Red and Whites’ United States-born center, Marques Bolden. The shots were all Indonesia needed to clinch its first basketball gold in the SEA Games since the sport was added to the multinational event in 1977.
For Arki, the victory made up for the frustration and heartache of repeatedly falling short of the team’s longtime regional rival, the preeminent Southeast Asian basketball power, which had won gold in 18 of the 21 events in the SEA Games.
The Philippines also thwarted Indonesia’s bid to win gold in men’s basketball in three out of four finals. Arki was at the losing end of two of those matches, which was painful to Indonesian basketball aficionados, though the sport is not as high-profile as soccer in the country.
Most of all, the win was a milestone for Arky’s basketball career, a journey that started with a series of small steps.
