At the Asian Championships, Rizki Juniansyah Didn't Have Time to Say Goodbye to the 73 Kg Class

The 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championship will be the last event that Rizki Juniansyah and other Indonesian lifters will participate in with the old competition categories. Rizki will not have the opportunity to compete for the last time in the 73 kg category, which led him to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He will compete in the 81 kg category and will subsequently be prepared to compete in the 79 kg category.

Rizki and nine Indonesian weightlifters are participating in the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championship in Jiangshan, China, from May 9 to 15. Rizki is accompanied by three other male lifters and six female lifters.

This event features competitions in 10 weight categories for both male and female sectors. Rizki will compete in the 81 kg class, which is heavier than his participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics where he competed in the 73 kg class.

Throughout his journey, Rizki often alternated appearances in the 81 kg and 73 kg classes with Rahmat Erwin Abdullah. Both male lifters are mainstays for Indonesia and have excelled in these two weight categories.

At the 2024 World Weightlifting Championship in Manama, Bahrain, last December, Rizki competed in the 73 kg category, while Rahmat competed in the 81 kg category. At the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championship, Rizki will switch categories again with Rahmat, who will compete in the 73 kg category.

Thus, Rizki did not have the opportunity to bid farewell to the 73 kg class that led him to win a medal at the Olympics. Rizki's performance at the World Championship became his final appearance in the 73 kg class.

Starting in June 2025, the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) will implement a new weight category. In the men's sector, the new weight categories will consist of eight classes, including 60 kilograms, 65 kg, 71 kg, 79 kg, 88 kg, 98 kg, 110 kg, and +110 kg.

This number is fewer than the previous category, which consisted of 10 classes. The old classes included 55 kg, 61 kg, 67 kg, 73 kg, 81 kg, 89 kg, 96 kg, 102 kg, 109, and +109 kg.

Meanwhile, in the women's sector, the new categories start from 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, and +86 kg. Previously, the 10 classes for female lifters consisted of 46 kg, 49 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 64kg, 71 kg, 76 kg, 81 kg, 87 kg, and +87 kg.

Rizki stated that competing in the 81 kg class is not much different from the 73 kg class. This is because the distance is not too far, and the 21-year-old lifter is accustomed to switching between these two categories.

"The challenge is primarily how to increase body weight while ensuring that the class also increases. We must not allow the body weight to rise while the class remains the same," he stated.

However, Rizki does not set overly ambitious targets in this Asian Championship. Moreover, the competition in Asia is as fierce as that in the world. In fact, half of all world records in the men's category are held by Asian weightlifters.

"There is no target like before in the Olympics, more relaxed but still intensive training. Want to catch up with the progress of the class," said Rizki.

"If my generation is good, the condition recovers, and everyone is healthy, we will see what the opponent is like. Perhaps we will still 'sneak around' to look for medals," he added.

Rizki will compete in the 81 kg Group A class on Monday (12/5/2025) afternoon WIB. The competition in this class tends to be newer, as regular athletes have chosen to compete in other weight categories. The world and Asian record holder for the 81 kg class, Li Dayin (China), for instance, has opted to compete in the 89 kg class.

The three-time gold medalist in the 81 kg category at the 2024 World Championship, Ri Chong-song (North Korea), will also not participate in the Asian Championship. Rizki is likely to face stiff competition for a medal from South Korean athlete Son Hyeon-ho and the host lifter, Lou Chongyang.

The national weightlifting coach handling Rizki, Triyatno, stated that he has not set any specific targets for his protégé. Triyatno only hopes that Rizki can successfully complete at least 5 attempts with weights close to those lifted during the Olympics.

In Paris, Rizki recorded the best snatch lift of 155 kg and clean and jerk of 199 kg. In addition to winning the gold medal, Rizki broke the Olympic record with the clean and jerk.

"There is no specific target because this is indeed the last class before the change in June. It is likely that Rizki will compete in the 79 kg class, not the 73 kg class anymore. With his weight ranging between 77 kg and 78 kg, it is most feasible for Rizki to fill the 79 kg class."

Like Rizki, veteran lifter Eko Yuli Irawan is also not setting overly ambitious targets at the Asian Championships. Eko will compete in the 67 kg category, which is heavier than when he competes at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

According to Eko, the Asian Championship is his first event to assess the progress of his lifting after he had experienced an injury. Physically, Eko stated that he is beginning to recover. However, his lifting has not yet reached the weight he desires.

"It has actually started to recover, but the generation has not yet. So I am gradually trying to restore it. The hope is that the peak will be at the SEA Games later," said Eko, who still has ambitions to participate in the event.

In addition to Rizki, Rahmat, and Eko, the Indonesian weightlifting team also sent Ardaraya, who will compete in the 73 kg category. This means that Indonesia will have two lifters competing in the same class.

In the women's sector, there are Juliana Klarisa and Basilia Bamerop Ninggan in the 55kg class, Natasya Beteyob (59kg), Tsabitha Alfiah Ramadani and Nadita Aprilia (64kg), as well as Indah Afriza (72kg) strengthening the women's team.

Juliana Klarisa stated that the Asian Championship is the final event to achieve success in the 55 kg category. Klarisa is enthusiastic as she wants to prove her abilities amidst the competition with Basillia Bamerop, who has just joined the national training center. After returning from the tournament, Klarisa is likely to focus on competing in the 53 kg category.