As of Friday evening, Indonesia had grabbed 26 gold medals, 21 silvers and 32 bronzes, placing the Red-and-White team fifth in the medal tally.

In the top spot is host China with an unassailable lead of 195 golds, 159 silvers and 138 bronzes, while Japan is a distant second with 39 golds, 39 silvers and 37 bronzes.

Regardless, the Indonesian para team’s achievements have surpassed the target of 19 golds, 23 silvers and 25 bronzes it originally set out to claim.

In recognition of this feat, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo posted a congratulatory message to the athletes on Friday on his official Instagram account: “Congratulations to all of our para athletes who have put Indonesia in the top level of the Asian sports competition.”

Indonesia still has a number of medal chances during the final day of competition on Saturday. In the previous edition of the quadrennial multisport event in 2018, host Indonesia finished fifth overall with 37 gold, 47 silver and 51 bronze medals.

At Hangzhou, Indonesia bagged surprise wins including in boccia, a precision ball sport that debuted as a Paralympic medal event in 1984. Felix Arhi Yudha defeated Malaysian Lee Chee Hoong 5-3 to grab the gold for Indonesia.

In track and field, Saptoyogo Purnomo became the toast of the national team when he won his third gold medal on Thursday in the men’s 100-meter T37 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, clocking in at 11.35 seconds. Before that, he won his laurels when he finished first in the men’s 200 m T37 and 400 m T37.

Many expect the national team to keep fighting until the final day of competition today, including Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo, while Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy expressed his hope that the team would stay in the top 10 of the medal tally.

Muhadjir said the government would reward their hard work with cash bonuses upon their arrival back in Jakarta: “We have to appreciate this achievement. Our athletes have fought hard to win the world’s recognition of Indonesia.”

With just one day left, the Indonesia’s Asian Para Games athletes have proven they are the pride of the nation’s sports scene.

In fact, Indonesia has maintained a stellar performance in international para games.

At the Southeast Asian Para Games in June, Indonesia retained its regional dominance with 159 gold, 148 silver and 94 bronze medals. Thailand came close in second place with 126 golds, 110 silvers and 92 bronzes, while Vietnam was a distant third with 66 golds, 58 silvers and 77 bronzes.

This also marked Indonesia’s fourth championship title in the region’s premier paralympic games, after marking its first overall win in 2014 in Myanmar.

Following their strong performance at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, Indonesia’s athletes can now set their sights on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Let’s cheer on our athletes and hope they will realize their dreams of donning our national colors in Paris. Beyond that, let us hope their achievements at Hangzhou and other competitions will inspire our non-para athletes to take their game to the next level.