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Runner Sapto Yogo Pratomo on road to Paralympics glory after qualifying
Runner Sapto Yogo Pratomo is on a mission to have his long and rigorous training camp at Sriwedari Stadium in Surakarta end with victory at the upcoming ASEAN Para Games, to be held in the Philippines in March next year.
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Runner Sapto Yogo Pratomo, who qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, trains at Sriwedari Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java. (The Jakarta Post/Dicky Christanto)
M
orning had just begun when dozens of para-athletes started their morning training session at Sriwedari Stadium in Sebelas Maret State University of Surakarta, Central Java.
Runners were doing their best to meet their daily targets, beat old records or in some cases beat potential opponent’s records. This was their daily dose of motivation, something to keep them pushing harder.
Among them was Sapto Yogo Pratomo, who managed to secure a spot at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Sapto finished fourth in sprint at the latest World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai to qualify for the Paralympics. To date, only two Indonesian runners have qualified for the Paralympics, Sapto and Karisma Evi Tiarani, the latter of whom broke the world record in 100 meters at the Dubai event.
“I am very grateful to have been able to secure a spot at the next Tokyo Paralympics. But I must not become complacent as right now I have my own target, delivering a gold medal at the ASEAN Para Games,” he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a recent training session.
Sapto will compete in the T37 category for people with cerebral palsy at the upcoming ASEAN Para Games, which was postponed from January to March. He will compete in the sprint and relay categories.
He acknowledged that he was quite happy with his preparations as the national training camp that started in May gave him time to discuss strategies with his coach.
“Preparation is key and that is why I am focusing on perfecting my techniques and strategies,” he said.
