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SEA Games: Windy wins weightlifting gold for Indonesia in her debut
Despite being the youngest weightlifter in the women’s 49 kilogram category at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Windy Cantika Aisah seemed fearless when she entered Ninoy Aquino Stadium of Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Monday morning.
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Indonesian weightlifter Windy Cantika Aisah holds the national flag after winning gold in the women's 49 kilogram category at the 30th Southeast Asian Games in Manila, the Philippines. (JP/Ramadani Saputra)
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espite being the youngest weightlifter in the women’s 49 kilogram category at the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Windy Cantika Aisah seemed fearless when she entered Ninoy Aquino Stadium of Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Monday morning.
The 17-year-old dominated the 49 kg category by breaking the youth world record under her own name in both snatch and clean and jerk, securing Indonesia’s third gold medal at the Philippine Games.
Windy, whose lifting prowess runs in the family – her mom Siti Aisah was a bronze medalist at the 1988 World Weightlifting Championships – showed her dominance from the beginning as she topped the leaderboards with a magnificent 86 kg lift in snatch.
The dominance continued in clean and jerk with a powerful 104 kg lift. With the result, she broke the youth world record, which she herself held – Windy previously lifted 84 kg in snatch and 102 kg in clean and jerk.
“I thank God because this is all because of him. I dedicate this [medal] for my dad as he went to surgery this morning, and also for my mom and for the country,” she said after the medal ceremony.
Windy strongly outshone even her closest competitor, silver medalist Phyo Pyae Pyae of Myanmar, who trailed her by 10 kg with a total lift of 180 kg. Vietnam’s Ngo Thi Nguyen claimed third place with 172 kg.
National coach Dirja Wihardja applauded Windy’s performance as her record almost matched that of veteran Sri Wahyuni, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Sri, who is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to her first daughter, scored a total lift of 192 kg.
Dirja said that Windy was very disciplined during practice. Her mother, he said, had taught her about proper management of diet and sleep, an important part of becoming a successful athlete.
