Oct. 11 marks International Day of the Girl, which aims to promote girls’ empowerment and their human rights. Girls around the world face many challenges, from education inequality and child marriages to poverty, sexual and reproductive rights deprivation and gender-based violence.

This year’s theme is “GirlForce: Unscripted and unstoppable”, in which achievements by, with and for girls are celebrated.

Here are five young female Indonesian athletes, whose names might not be as well-known as their male counterparts, yet whose achievements are worthy of celebration:

1. Zahra Muzdalifah

With the revival of the Liga 1 Putri, Indonesian female soccer players have found themselves in the spotlight. Zahra Muzdalifah, 18, is a striker for Persija Jakarta and is also a member of the Indonesian national team. In the first two matches in 2019 Liga 1 Putri alone, Zahra scored three goals for Persija, one against PSIS Semarang and two against rival club Persib Bandung.

Zahra honed her soccer skills at the ASIOP Apacinti academy, one of the most respected soccer academies in the country. Before starting her career as a soccer player, Zahra played futsal. In an interview with Kompas TV, Zahra admitted that soccer was more challenging than futsal given its scale and complexity.

2. Indah Cahya Sari

Badminton player Indah Cahya Sari made her name after winning the 2018 World Junior Championships and the 2019 Asian Junior Championships in the mixed doubles with her partner Leo Rolly Carnando. During the 2018 BWF World Junior Championships, Indah and Leo defeated their fellow, more senior, Indonesian pair Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti despite being freshmen in the tournament.

She has been a member of PB Djarum since 2014, after failing on her first attempt at the club’s entrance test.

3. Febriana Dwipuji-Putri Syaikah

Earlier this month, the Indonesian national junior badminton team made history by winning the World Junior Championships for the first time. In the final rounds, it was women’s doubles pair Febriana Dwipuji-Putri Syaikah who were decisive in victory. After losing in the first set against China’s Li Yi Jing-Tan Ning, the pair won 16-21, 25-23 and 21-13 -- the first time beating China in the World Junior Mixed Team Championships final.

“I was so nervous in the first game, but during the interval, I could hear the supporters and I regained my spirit. What a shame, I thought, if I was here in the final [and lost], so I had to fight until the end,” said Febriana in a statement.

4. Windy Cantika Aisah

As a daughter of renowned weightlifter Siti Aisyah, Windy Cantika had been going to weightlifting practice since she was in the second grade of elementary school.

At first, she was only there to accompany her mother and older sibling. It was a few years later that she joined a club, and now, at 17 years old, Windy has joined the national training camp as a weightlifter in the 49 kilograms class.

Windy won three silvers in the 2019 Junior World Weightlifting Championships, held in Fiji in August. During the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships in September, she broke three world records in junior women’s weightlifting.

5. Amanda Narda Mutia

Sixteen-year-old Amanda Narda Mutia, who hails from Surabaya, East Java, is one of Indonesia’s future sport climbing stars. In 2018, she represented Indonesia in the Asian Youth Championship in the Youth B (14 to 15 years old) category and went home with a gold medal.

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