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Indonesia brings home 3 golds from first Malaysia Open Grand Prix
Lalu Muhammad Zohri (JP/PJ
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Lalu Muhammad Zohri (JP/PJ. Leo)
The Indonesian track and field contingent has brought home three gold medals from the first Malaysia Open Grand Prix at Bukit Jalil Stadium.
Indonesian sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri secured the first gold in the men’s 100-meter sprint.
Following Zohri was Sapwaturahman, who secured a gold medal for his 7.97-meter-long jump.
On Sunday, Indonesian hurdler Emilia Nova added another gold to the contingent’s collection by clocking 13.59 seconds, while the silver was secured by Na Hee Ryu of South Korea with 14.25 seconds and Raja Nursheena of Malaysia won bronze with 14.31 seconds.
The 18-year-old Zohri crossed the finish line first in the men’s 100-m race, notching up 10.20 seconds to beat Malaysian Zulfiqar Ismail and Taiwanese Wei-Hsu Wang, who scored 10.41 and 10.44 seconds respectively.
Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi congratulated Zohri’s victory on his personal Instagram account, alongside a video of the athlete dashing and crossing the finish line first at the international sports event.
“Happy news from Malaysia; Indonesia’s best sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri won a gold medal at the Malaysia Open Grand Prix at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur,” Imam said in his Instagram post.
Zohri, who is a student, went straight home after the race for the national test. Last year in Tampere, Finland, Zohri won gold at the 2018 World Junior Athletics Championship by clocking 10.18 seconds, beating Americans Anthony Schwartz and Eric Harrison, who both clocked 10.22 seconds in second and third position.
Zohri also beat his personal best of 10.25 seconds.
According to the International Athletics Federation Association, Zohri’s triumph was a first for Indonesia. The best achievement ever made in this prestigious event was when an Indonesian runner made it to 8th position in a qualifier in 1986.
Zohri stole the country’s attention and he was showered with gifts from the government and private companies as a token of appreciation for the gold medal he won. Zohri was also invited to join the army.
His house was renovated, paid for by the government. The road to his house, which is located in the middle of a village in West Nusa Tenggara, was also repaired. Zohri was also “awarded” with his own convenience store.
As for Emilia and Sapwaturahman, both athletes had respectively contributed a silver and bronze medal from the same category during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.
The three of them, Zohri, Emilia and Sapwaturahman, are among those track and field elites who have been perceived as the sign of Indonesia’s rising power in the sport. Former Soeharto’s minister Mohammad “Bob” Hasan has long been viewed as the sport patron.
