Indonesia celebrates first Olympic golds outside badminton
Al Jazeera
Golden day in Paris for Southeast Asian nation as speed climber Veddriq Leonardo and weightlifter Rizki Juniansyah win.
Speed climber Veddriq Leonardo has handed Indonesia its first Olympic gold outside badminton after sprinting up a 15-metre wall to beat his Chinese rival by just two-hundredths of a second.
Veddriq’s gold was the first for Indonesia in the Paris Olympics, and the ninth since the country made its Olympic debut in 1952.
“I feel very happy, very joyful,” the 27-year-old said. “My heart raced [in the competition], but I stayed focused and finished it.”
Veddriq scaled the wall in 4.75 seconds, a personal best, to pip China’s Wu Peng for the top spot. His coach broke down in tears and Indonesian Sport Climbing Federation chairwoman Yenni Wahid said she was “so moved I could cry”.
As Indonesians celebrated Veddriq’s Olympic victory, 21-year-old Rizki Juniansyah delivered the country’s second gold of the day by winning the men’s 73kg weightlifting competition.
