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Indonesian elite martial artists opt to live by the rules during pandemic
Indonesian mixed martial arts athletes currently competing in ONE Championship bouts acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic had hit them hard and turned their way of life upside down.
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During the coronavirus pandemic, fighter Eko Roni Saputra has decided to continue his training at home, where he lives with his family, and only goes out for essentials. (The Jakarta Post/Courtesy of ONE Championship)
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ndonesian mixed martial art athletes currently competing in ONE Championship bouts acknowledged that the current COVID-19 pandemic had hit them hard and turned their way of life upside down.
However, they acknowledged that adapting to the current social restrictions while maintaining a healthy lifestyle was the best thing they could do to survive the pandemic.
Flyweight fighter Eko Roni Saputra who defeated Cambodia’s Khon Sichan in Jakarta in February, said his usual routine had vastly changed.
“Only if I want to buy some food or go to the market then I go out. I do a lot of training at home and have more time with the family. I miss competing and of course, 100 percent the training sessions. And you cannot do what you would usually do at this time,” Eko, who currently resides in Singapore with his family, said.
Indonesian female athlete Priscilla “Thathie” Hertati Lumban Gaol, wished that everyone would play their part until everything was back to normal again.
“Stay fit, do social distancing like the government said, and stay at home if you don’t have really urgent things to do outside. And let’s hope this coronavirus will end soon so we can get back to our normal lives,” said the former wushu champion.
“Apart from my workouts, over the last three weeks I’ve spent most of the time streaming movies and surfing the internet.”
Elsewhere, the large-scale social restrictions have not been so bad for strawweight Stefer Rahardian. The 33-year-old, who broke a four-bout losing streak in October, is embracing the time spent at home to recover from injury.
“I think I’ve been handling this COVID-19 pandemic well. I had my knee surgery right before the pandemic, so stay-home activities are perfectly matched with my recovery,” Stefer said.
Thathie has found a similar sense of positivity and believes there are some good lessons to be learned from the current situation.
“A lot of good things have happened since the restrictions, for example, people have become more aware about their hygiene and try to be as healthy as they can,” she said.
