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| Indonesia karateka Rifki Ardiansyah Arrosyiid |
Indonesia karateka Rifki Ardiansyah Arrosyiid is shifting his focus to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics following his gold medal victory over Iran’s Amir Mahdi Zadeh, who is ranked No. 3 in the world.
Rifki presented Indonesia’s first karate gold in the 2018 Asian Games on Sunday, when he defeated Amir in the 60-kilogram category of men’s kumite. Indonesia also collected a bronze medal from Cokorda Istri Agung S., who competed in the women’s kumite 55 kg.
Rifki’s victory fulfills the Youth and Sports Ministry’s target of collecting at least one gold in karate.
His journey to the Asiad gold has been a tough one, as Rifki faced strong opponents: Malaysia karateka Prem Kumar Selvam in the semifinals and Amir in the final.
"The two athletes did their best,” Indonesia Sport Karate Federation (FORKI) president Gatot Nurmantyo said about the finalists, Rifki and Amir. “We should thank the parents of both [men] for allowing them to practice and blessed their every step.”
“Our victory is dedicated to all the Indonesian people," Gatot added.
Following Rifki’s Asian Games gold, FORKI will continue to support Indonesian karatekas in their journey to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Indonesian karatekas are optimistic about their prospects in karate’s Olympics debut in two years.
Rifki said he was grateful he was able to repeat Indonesia’s glorious history in karate kumite in the 18th Asian Games, following in the footsteps of karateka Hasan Basri, who won gold at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.
"God is in my heart at all times. I want to say thank you, especially to my parents, and also to all Indonesians who supported throughout this time. Last but not least, thank you to my manager and coach," said Rifki.
“I always dreamed of becoming an Asian Games champion, as well as a world champion. I entrust everything to Allah Almighty. Everything was difficult, but I believed we could get through it,” Rifki said, expressing his confidence.
Rifki serves in the Indonesian Military (TNI) and is assigned to the sports center of the Brawijaya military command. Aside from karate, Rifki often plays chess, which has trained him to control his emotions during a karate match.
"I always try to stay calm and confident. [I was able to perform well] because of the support from the Indonesian people," Rifki said.