Weightlifting Weight Lifting Achievement

Every weightlifting athlete knows that their primary task is to lift as much weight as possible. When they are able to accomplish this, the lifters are also, in fact, lifting another, greater "burden," which is the performance target for Indonesia. At the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, weightlifting will once again be a mainstay in achieving the overall target of 80-85 gold medals.

Ricko Saputra understands this. When he passed the national selection for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand last August, Ricko would no longer compete with just personal ambitions and targets. The lifter, who will compete in the 60-kilogram category, is also part of the "soldiers" prepared to meet the targets of the sport and the Indonesian contingent.

"If asked whether I want to prove myself, of course. Moreover, this will be my debut at the SEA Games. However, we also have larger goals and targets," said Ricko after the final preparations at the national training center for weightlifting at Mess Kwini, Jakarta, Friday (28/11/2025).

Ricko is one of four debutant lifters at the upcoming SEA Games. Eight other lifters have experience competing in the Southeast Asian sports festival. In fact, some of them are regular medalists and Olympians, such as veteran lifter Eko Yuli Irawan, Rizki Juniansyah, and Rahmat Erwin Abdullah.

Despite this, Ricko remains undeterred. His performance has indeed declined following the qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 25-year-old lifter was also removed from the national training camp, which became one of the reasons Ricko wants to prove himself when competing in Chonburi later.

However, Ricko is not without experience. The lifter from Bekasi, West Java, has previously competed in events at a higher level, such as the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and World Championships. He has also collected three gold medals from the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games, one gold medal from the 2023 IWF Grand Prix, and silver and bronze medals from the 2024 Asian Championships.

Ricko is Eko Yuli Irawan's closest rival, the still-undefeated Irawan. Although the match ended anticlimactically, the two were once competing for a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 61 kg class. With his best total lift of 298 kg (133 kg snatch and 165 kg clean and jerk), Ricko was only 2 kilograms behind Eko's total lift of 300 kg (135 kg snatch and 165 kg clean and jerk).

That experience serves as a foundation for Ricko as he looks forward to his first SEA Games. Ricko not only wants to prove that he can still deliver his best performance, but also that he can contribute medals for Indonesia.

Like Ricko, the experience in previous competitions has also become a valuable asset for female lifter Alyamaulida Kartika Pertiwi in her debut at the SEA Games. While Ricko has been accumulating this experience for years, Alya has gained it throughout this year. Alya, who will compete in the 77 kg category, immediately became busy shortly after being called to the national training center at the beginning of 2025.

Alya achieved remarkable success by winning three bronze medals in her international debut at the 2025 Youth World Weightlifting Championship in Peru last April. She also secured three gold medals at the 2025 Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship in Kazakhstan in July. Most recently, in October, the 17-year-old lifter won two bronze medals at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.

Nevertheless, Alya does not deny feeling nervous because the SEA Games will not only be her debut at the sporting event but also the first moment competing alongside her seniors. "This is the first time participating in a championship with senior athletes, including Olympic athletes. So there is still a sense of excitement," said Alya.

Nervousness also arises because the competition in the 77 kg class is still difficult to map out. At the World Championship in October 2025, there were no Southeast Asian lifters participating in the 77 kg class. Meanwhile, in several other classes, the World Championship serves as a platform to assess the strength of competitors following the changes in weight categories.

As of June, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has implemented new weight classes consisting of 60 kilograms, 65 kg, 71 kg, 79 kg, 88 kg, 98 kg, 110 kg, and +110 kg for the men's sector. Meanwhile, the women's sector has been established with weight classes of 48 kg, 53 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 86 kg, and +86 kg.

This is also what was highlighted by the coach of the Indonesian weightlifting team, Dirdja Wihardja. According to Dirdja, a complete picture of the competition is difficult to obtain at the World Championship because Thailand and Vietnam, which are usually Indonesia's competitors, did not send full squads. However, Dirdja is confident that the host country, Thailand, will be one of the toughest competitors and a threat to the target of four gold medals.

Judging by the results of the 2025 World Championships, Indonesia should be wary of other Southeast Asian lifters, not just those from Thailand. Eko Yuli, for example, will face stiff competition from Muhammad Aznil bin Bidin from Malaysia. While Eko ranked seventh at the 2025 World Championships for a total lift of 300 kg (137 kg snatch, 163 kg clean and jerk), Aznil ranked fifth with 301 kg (135 kg snatch, 166 kg clean and jerk).

The Indonesian weightlifting team coach, Eko Yuli, Erwin Abdullah, agreed that other Southeast Asian lifters, including those from Malaysia, were indeed worth watching. "However, we are also working on perfecting our lifts, especially the clean and jerk. If that's good, our lifts should also improve," Erwin said.

Another threat also looms in the women's division. Juliana Klarisa, the gold medalist in the 55 kg class at the 2023 Cambodian SEA Games, returned home without a medal at the 2025 World Championships. Klarisa competed in the 53 kg class and finished ninth with a total lift of 183 kg (80 kg snatch, 103 kg clean and jerk).

In this weight class, Thai lifter Surodchana Khambao won a bronze medal with a total lift of 200 kg (90 kg in snatch, 110 kg in clean and jerk). Surodchana previously won gold at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam and silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 49 kg class. Her presence in the 53 kg class could pose a threat to Klarisa's chances of winning another gold medal in Thailand.

Ricko will face a significant challenge as he competes in the same class as the silver medalist from the Paris 2024 Olympics, Silachai Theerapong (Thailand). In addition to Theerapong, Ricko's competitor is Malaysian lifter Mohamad Aniq bin Kasdan, who has shown considerable progress in recent years.

In every SEA Games, weightlifting has always been a mainstay sport for Indonesia in collecting gold medals. At least in the last five editions, weightlifting has consistently contributed a minimum of two gold medals and finished in the top three of the sports medal tally.

Therefore, despite the significant challenges, Dirdja, who is coaching Ricko, is optimistic that his protégé and other Indonesian lifters can achieve the target of four gold medals at the upcoming SEA Games. According to Dirdja, as has been the case in the past, the lifters are prepared to bear the "burden" of achievement in order to meet the overall target of 80-85 gold medals.

Dear readers, Kompas Daily is opening a Letters to Athletes column, which contains opinions, encouragement, or comments related to the performance of Indonesian athletes at the 2025 SEA Games Thailand. Send your short comments, a minimum of two sentences and a maximum of six sentences, by filling in the column below. We will publish selected comments in Kompas Daily during the 2025 SEA Games.