Sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri’s hot streak of form, in which he has seized victory after victory — including qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — has been a breath of fresh air for the Indonesia Athletics Federation (PASI).

Zohri’s achievements have not only polished up the image of the federation, which is tasked with producing world-class athletes, but have also inspired other sprinters to aim higher. The sprinter from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is now the new benchmark.

At the National Athletics Championships, held from Aug. 1 to 7 at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Zohri’s influence was evident, with his competitors enthusiastic to test themselves against Indonesia’s rising star.

During Thursday’s qualifiers, 50 sprinters were divided into seven heat series, competing for a spot in the 100 meter senior final. According to PASI, the number of sprinters in the competition was reflective of the country’s efforts to produce world-class athletes.

Zohri, who competed in the 200 m junior sprint, booked a new national junior record of 20.81 seconds in Sunday’s final. Zohri’s new national junior record is only 0.05 seconds shy of the national record of 20.76 set by Suryo Agung Wibowo in 2007.

“I was advised to not put 100 percent into this event as I’m still recovering from previous injuries,” he said, as quoted by Kompas on Sunday.

Zohri had earlier broken the national junior record of 21.27 seconds, set by Franklin Burumi in 2009, after finishing in 21.14 seconds during Saturday’s heat.

The 19-year-old also holds the Southeast Asian 100 m record of 10.03 seconds, a record he set at the 2019 Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, in May, where he secured a spot at the 2020 Olympics.

PASI secretary-general Tigor Tanjung said Zohri’s success had boosted interest in sprinting across the country. He said he believed Indonesia would have no shortage of talent.

“At the [recent] 2019 ASEAN School Games in Semarang [Central Java], we saw many promising young sprinters show their potential.

“[Now], it’s just a matter of getting the best coaches, especially ones who excel in technique,” he said on the sidelines of the national championships on Thursday.

Despite the enthusiasm, no exceptional sprinters emerged among the field of 50 senior runners, with none able to break 10.50 over 100 m.

In Friday’s photo-finish final, Sudirman Hadi of NTB was first across the line, finishing in 10.58 seconds, followed by Mochammad Bisma Diwa Abina of East Java (10.581) and Eko Rimbawan of Central Kalimantan (10.584).

To be chosen for the federation’s national training camp, sprinters must break 10.47 seconds, a feat no sprinter at Pakansari achieved.

Eko, who won the 2018 Asian Games silver medal in the men’s 4x100 m relay, could not hide his disappointment, with his time far from his personal best of 10.48, which he produced at the Asian Grand Prix in Chongqing, China, in June.

“I was quite nervous before the race. I couldn’t relax, which affected my technique,” he said.

During the Chongqing event, Eko replaced Zohri and managed to finish fourth.

“I still need to improve my endurance and my reaction time at the start,” he added.

Following Zohri’s achievements, Tigor encouraged sprinters nationwide to take their ambitions up a notch, rather being happy with success at the National Games (PON) or Southeast Asian (SEA) Games level.

“Athletics is a popular sport. This means the government should pay greater attention to [the development] of athletics in [underdeveloped] regions as they usually face problems with infrastructure and funding,” he said.

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