At the World Championships, Indonesian Weightlifters Will Show Off Their Strength in a New Class

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian weightlifting team will make its debut in a new weight category at the world level during the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships. This participation is not only to assess their own quality but also serves as a momentum to gauge the strength of their opponents and to map out the competition leading up to the SEA Games and the Olympics.

Indonesia is sending, respectively, five male and female lifters to the 2025 World Weightlifting Championship held in Forde, Norway, from October 2 to 10. They will compete in seven weight categories.

The 2025 World Weightlifting Championships will be the first global event to feature new weight categories. As of June, the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) has implemented new 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, and 48 kg, 53 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 86 kg, and +86 kg for the women's sector.

Since the implementation of that new category, the IWF competition utilizing that class has only been a continental event for juniors and youth. Additionally, there is the Commonwealth Championship for the countries of the British Commonwealth.

"We are not setting lofty targets for the World Championship because this is a new class. We are observing each other's strengths and mapping out our capabilities," said the Secretary General of the Indonesian Weightlifting Association, Djoko Pramono, during the release of athletes at the national weightlifting training center in Mess Kwini, Jakarta, Friday (26/9/2025).

Djoko added that the competition at the World Championship will also reflect the rivalry at the Southeast Asian and Asian levels. This is provided that other Southeast Asian and Asian countries also send their lifters to the World Championship.

As a result, the competition at the World Championship will serve as an initial reflection of the rivalry for the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics. Most importantly, Djoko stated, Indonesian lifters will also be able to assess their quality in the new weight classes.

In the men's category, the gold medalist of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Rizki Juniansyah, is competing in the same class as the bronze medalist of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Rahmat Erwin Abdullah. They are competing in the 79-kilogram class.

Olympic medalist lifter, Eko Yuli Irawan, will also compete against his fellow Indonesian lifter and junior, Leonardo Geovani Adventino. They will "battle" in the 65 kg category. Additionally, another male lifter, Ardaraya, will compete in the 71 kg category.

In the women's sector, Juliana Klarisa and Basilia Bamerop competed in the 53 kg category. Meanwhile, Natasya Beteyob participated in the 58 kg category, Nadita Aprilia in the 63 kg category, and Indah Afriza in the 69 kg category.

"This is, after all, the first time I am competing in a new weight class. Although the difference is only one kilogram from the previous class, the competition can still change. Therefore, at the World Championship, I want to measure my abilities while also observing my opponents," said Natasya Beteyob, who previously competed in the 59 kg class.

In addition to the World Championship, Indonesian lifters will also compete in the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain 2025, from October 22 to 31. Indonesia is sending seven youth lifters, consisting of three male lifters and four female lifters.

The three male lifters are Kevin Andrian Ramadhan (56 kg), M Rizal Abdillah (60 kg), and Imanuel Leonard Aipassa Suabey (65 kg). Meanwhile, the female lifters consist of Brilianti Chandrika (58 kg), Absyah Ramadhani Nasution (48 kg), Lintang (69 kg), and Alya Maulida (77 kg).