I Putu Randu Wahyu Pradana (JP/Ramadani Saputra)

The crowd booing loudly inside the PhilSports Arena in Pasig, the Philippines, on Tuesday night, did not deter Indonesian volleyball player I Putu Randu Wahyu Pradana from playfully celebrating any point his team won. 

After team Indonesia took a point sometimes he danced while grinning broadly and other times he made his signature gesture of spreading his hands. Both styles immediately prompted even more boos from the spectators.

However, after the match finished the crowd was shouting Randu’s name and demanding pictures. They seemed to have forgotten the fact that Randu and his teammate had just beaten the Philippines on its home turf to take gold in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Commenting on his celebration style, Randu said it was “spontaneous” without any purpose of provoking the crowd.

“[I did it] to fire up me and the team,” said the Balinese player, who has competed in four SEA Games.

“In terms of mentality, we already won. We already knew the stadium would be full of home supporters as this was the final,” he added.

Indonesian team assistant coach Pascal Wilmar said the team needed a player like Randu to keep the spirit up, especially during a critical time when the team lacked communication. 

“[Randu] is a player with a strong mentality,” he said.

The Indonesian men’s volleyball team ended the country’s decade-long runner-up streak with a victory over host Philippines on Tuesday evening. After winning gold in 2009 the men’s squad had never clinched the top spot, settling for silver in 2011, 2013 and 2017.

Coming to the 30th SEA Games, the team was confident about its abilities, bringing the mindset that it could end the gold drought.

The confidence was clearly visible from the beginning of the tournament as the Indonesian squad never lost a single set in the group round. The domination continued as Randu and his teammates stunned Myanmar and Philippines in the semifinal and final, respectively, again with a clean sheet.

Team manager Santiaji said the togetherness between players and coaches had resulted in a solid team that could fulfill the target of winning gold. He added that his coaching team had instilled in the players the confidence that they had what it took to bring the gold home again.

“The 10-year wait had ended. This means that the quality of Indonesian volleyball has improved. Now, it’s up to the federation to show its support for the team after this,” he said.

Team captain Nizar Zulfikar said the key to victory was their high spirit. Each player, he said, had the strong will that was needed to face any opponents at the Games.

“We were not affected by how loud the cheers from the crowds were. Our focus remained on the court. It allowed us to control ourselves, because it was hard enough to communicate [among team members] with the crowd cheering so loudly,” said Nizar.

He went on to say that the 2019 Games gold should be a wake-up call for the Indonesian Volleyball Association (PBVSI) in offering better assistance for the national team for future competitions

Ahead of the Games, the team only had one trial overseas, which was the 2019 Asian Volleyball Men’s Championship in Iran in September. The team finished in 12th place out of 16 teams competing at the tournament.

“I hope that the federation can pay more attention to the athletes in the future and it would be better if [the federation] doesn’t break it up when we finally have a solid team.

“Look at Thailand and the Philippines. Their teams have been together for years, while our team just got together for the camp six months [ahead of the Games]. The federation should be able to reflect from the neighboring countries’ example,” Nizar added.

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