It was an intense Friday evening inside Hall D of the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

A hush fell over the hundreds of Indonesian spectators in the stadium as they waited for the scores of Indonesian gymnasts Agus Prayoko and Rifda Irfanaluthfi to appear on the big screen.

Despite failing to win an Asian Games (Asiad) gold medal for the country, Agus and Rifda made Indonesian sporting history by being the first gymnasts to win medals at the quadrennial event.

Agus secured a bronze in the men’s vault while Rifda won silver in the women’s floor exercise.

Performing in the first final of the day in the men’s vault category, Agus stunned the audience with his combination of jumps, flips and successful landings, which awarded the 29-year-old 14.125 points, the third-highest score among eight participants competing in the category.

The result gave Agus his first Asiad bronze in his first Asiad appearance. This was the biggest achievement of his athletic career so far — even bigger than clinching a silver medal at the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.

The gold medal in the category went to Hong Kong’s Wai Hung Shek and silver was awarded to South Korean Kim Han-sol.

The intense atmosphere surrounding the final round seemed to have shaken the confidence of some participating gymnasts. DPR Korea’s Se Gwang-ri, who won gold in the men’s vault at the 2016 Rio Olympic, had to be satisfied with coming in fifth after fumbling his landing.

Fortunately, Agus said he was able to remain focused.

“I was not nervous. I didn’t see my opponents’ performance as I wanted to focus on myself. I just wanted to perform without thinking about the medal,” he told journalist after the event.

Coach Indra Sibarani, who has trained Agus since the beginning of his gymnastics career, said his protégé’s performance was in line with his expectations.

“[Agus] became more enthusiastic as the Games approached,” he said.

Looking back at the time when he first met Agus as a scout in Kedir, East Java, in 2000, Indra conceded that he almost did not choose Agus because of issues with the form of his left hand.

“The quota for new [national gymnasts] is two people. I didn’t pick [Agus] at first, but then I saw his father, a tofu seller, crying. He really wanted his son to develop,” Indra said.

“And now, the tears have paid off.”

Performing third on Friday was 18-year-old Rifda, who stunned judges and spectators with agile movements that blended smoothly with the song “Belladona” during her performance.

She was awarded 12.750 points, which placed her second to gold medalist Kim Su-jong of DPR Korea. The bronze medal went to Japan’s Shiho Nakaji.

Speaking to journalists with a proud smile on her face, Rifda said performing with joy had been the key to winning her medal.

“If I can enjoy the games, everything — from the movement, the energy and the choreography — will come out perfectly,” she said, adding that she would use the cash bonus that went with the medal to send her parents and grandmother to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the haj.

Rifda’s coach, Eva Novalina Butar, said she decided to increase the level of difficulty in Rifda’s performance while focusing on her choreography.

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