Despite his calm demeanor, even when he scores during a match, the ace of Indonesian water polo, Ridjkie Mulia, could not hold back happy tears as soon as he learned his team had earned its first ever Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal.

Ridjkie and the rest of the Indonesian team witnessed the needed draw match between Singapore and the Philippines at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in the Philippines on Friday evening.

The 6-6 draw by two competitors sent Indonesia to the top of the table and allowed the team to present the first gold medal for the contingent at the biennial event.

Ridjkie, who has played for the national team since 2011, was in disbelief at the first ever gold medal for Indonesian water polo at the SEA Games, which also put an end to Singapore’s dominance in the sport. The Lions had previously won 27 consecutive gold medals since 1965 Games.

Trying to fight his own tears, the 29-year-old thanked supporters back at home, who had believed in him and his teammates all along.

“We succeeded in winning the first gold medal for Indonesia, and we have made history in water polo. And once again thank you to all,” Ridjkie said in a video published on the Indonesia Aquatics Association’s (PRSI) Instagram account @pbprsi on Friday evening.

It was not the first time Ridjkie got emotional, as he also could not hide his tears after leading the team to secure a historic victory against Singapore in Thursday’s round.

In previous Games, Indonesia had never beaten Singapore. The best it could do before the Philippines Games was a draw against Singapore in the 2017 Games in Kuala Lumpur.

The gold medal is a milestone for the Indonesian men’s water polo team. Attempts to win gold had always been stopped by Singapore, especially in the three previous Games, as Indonesia finished as a silver medalist in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

At the Games opening ceremony on Saturday evening, Ridjkie looked gallant as he donned the signature red-and-white jersey with a tradition head piece. Ridjkie was chosen as the flag bearer for the Indonesian contingent and led about 250 athletes and officials to the stage of the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, some 30 kilometers north of Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah of Brunei were among the VIPs attending the ceremony.

Ahead of the ceremony, Ridjkie said he had not expected to be given the flag bearer role.

“I was pretty nervous, as I know that this [opening ceremony] is a respected [event] and I represented the nation,” he said.

Ridjkie is one of the key players in the national squad. With his main task to score goals, he was chosen by Indonesian water polo head coach Milos Sakovic as a reliable striker to power up the squad.

Alongside teammate Rezza Auditya Putra, Ridjkie had the opportunity to play in the Serbian water polo premier league, defending VK Beograd.

In the first round of this season’s league, both players started off in January and ended their journey in May.

Ridjkie, however, was requested to return to Serbia for another round of play in October, before coming home for the Philippines Games. The Serbian experience seems to have helped Ridjkie hone his skills, especially due to the national team’s lack of exposure to international tournaments prior to the Games.

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