“This result is beyond what we anticipated. For Abiyu, who previously won only silver in Cambodia, we had targeted him for gold from the start, and he delivered,” said Chair of the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation (FGI) Ita Yuliati in Bangkok on Saturday.
The gold medal came from Abiyurafi in the Men’s Horizontal Bar, where he scored 13.400.
He shared the top podium with Thailand’s Chuaisom Weerapat, who earned the same score. Vietnam’s Dinh Phuong Thanh took silver with 13.133.
Indonesia’s two silver medals were won by Aprizal Muhammad in the Men’s Rings and SEA Games newcomer Satria Tri Wira Yudha in the Men’s Parallel Bars.
Another debutant, Salsabilla Hadi Pamungkas, contributed the bronze in the Women’s Floor Exercise.
Yuliati said the strong performance reflects the success of Indonesia’s long-term athlete development program and highlights the capability of the country’s local coaches.
“Every ASEAN country uses foreign coaches—Indonesia is the only one still relying on local coaches. Yet these results show that our coaches are highly competent,” she noted.
She added that improved centralized training, more intensive preparation, and overseas training camps in Russia and Japan have all contributed to the athletes’ progress.
Beginning in 2026, Indonesia plans to fully optimize its national training center in Cibubur, Jakarta, to prepare athletes for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“Morinari Watanabe, President of the International Gymnastics Federation, has agreed to send Japanese coaches to Indonesia. This is part of our effort to qualify athletes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” Yuliati said.
The four medals earned in Thailand represent Indonesia’s best gymnastics performance since the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, when Agus Prayoko won gold in the Men’s Vault.
Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Raka Adji
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
