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Windy takes up baton for Olympics
Strong woman: Indonesian lifter Windy Cantika Aisah trains at the Kwini national training center in Jakarta on Tuesday
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trong woman: Indonesian lifter Windy Cantika Aisah trains at the Kwini national training center in Jakarta on Tuesday. The Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) hopes its lifters emerge victorious at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila in November and December.(Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
Indonesia has found a rising new star in young lifter Windy Cantika Aisah as she takes up the baton for Indonesian female weightlifting from Olympian Sri Wahyuni in the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo next year.
Sri, a 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, took maternity leave earlier this year from the national training camp for Tokyo.
As one of the hopefuls, Sri’s departure left a void in the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI), until Windy stepped up and showed her potential by snatching a silver medal in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Junior Championships in the women’s 49-kilogram category in Fiji in June.
Working her way up to qualify for Tokyo, the 17-year-old said she did not feel the pressure at all.
“I don’t feel the pressure. I am now 17 and still compete in the junior category. [I realize] when I compete in the senior level my opponents will have all the advantages as they excel in terms of mentality and experience compared with me, who has just started,” Windy said on Tuesday.
“I have to set my mind to be more ready, physically and mentally, when competing at the senior level,” added the daughter of former national female lifter Siti Aisah.
Indonesian favorite Sri had been the mainstay in the women’s 49 kg. She grabbed the 2016 Olympic medal along with another favorite Eko Yuli Irawan in the men’s division. In the 2018 Asian Games at home, 25-year-old Sri won her second Asiad silver after her first in Incheon in 2014.
PABSSI started a talent search to fill the gap created by Sri’s absence, and Windy was actually the second option.
The association gave the first shot to Syarah Anggraini in the women’s 53 kg, but she failed. In February’s IWF World Cup in Fuzhou, China, Syarah did not deliver well in three of her snatch attempts and came home empty-handed.
The association took the leap of faith by trusting Windy, who only joined the camp this year. The Bandung, West Java, native displayed her potential by making gradual progress along the way.
As a national lifter, Windy competed for the first time at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Ningbo, China, in April. She made a total lift of 177 kg, with 80 kg in snatch and 97 kg in clean and jerk. She finished in seventh position of 10 lifters in the women’s 49 kg.
During the Ningbo competition, she faced strong opposition including 2018 Asian Games gold medalist Ri Song-gum of North Korea and the championship’s gold medalist Hou Zhihui of China.
For Tokyo, Windy is expected to be able to adapt to both junior and senior level tournaments. Regardless, she said she would not think too much about targets, but would focus more on maintaining her skills level.
“The standard of competition in the senior category is harder, especially since I am the new kid around,” she said.
Windy however made progress by lifting a total 179 kg in Fiji, which earned her the silver. Her total lift was the new record in the youth level of the women’s 49 kg category.
Putting in a polished performance, Windy lifted a total 182 kg in September’s World Weightlifting Championship in Pattaya, Thailand, in September, despite only finishing ninth.
Alongside 10 other junior athletes, Windy is to compete at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Pyongyang, from Oct. 19 to 27. She said she wanted to break the Fiji record in the tournament and win a medal for the country.
“The preparation now is about being more disciplined with my diet and resting time. I want to achieve the target set by my coaches,” she said.
PABSSI has set a high target for lifters to get the country’s first gold medal in the Tokyo Games.
In the meantime, the association has paid more attention to its development program by sending prospects to a training center in Kwini, Central Jakarta. At the moment, there are 14 junior athletes and three seniors in the development program for the 2024 Olympics.
