Megawati Hangestri Takes Women's Volleyball to Jump Higher

Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi only did light stretching during a training session at the General Police Kunarto Volleyball Padepokan, Sentul, Bogor. Megawati could not fully participate in the training due to a back injury. She was in pain when jumping, even though as an opponent, jumping is the main movement when attacking.

The injury had left Megawati disappointed. Moreover, the injury occurred just a few days before the departure of the women's national volleyball team to the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. The opportunity to strengthen the "Red and White" team has also diminished.

However, instead of grieving, Megawati chose to focus on recovery at that time. In fact, she managed to recover quickly and contributed to Indonesia winning a bronze medal. Megawati's perseverance complemented her qualities on the field, including her high jumping ability and extraordinary striking power.

Two years have passed since that moment, and Megawati carried and demonstrated that attitude and ability in South Korea. During the final round of the Korean Volleyball League for the 2024-2025 season, for instance, Megawati had to play despite experiencing pain in her right knee. However, she refused to give up easily.

The player nicknamed "Megatron" by Indonesian volleyball enthusiasts strives to push the limits of the body and destiny alongside their team, Daejeon Jung Kwan Jang Red Sparks. Although the championship title ultimately belonged to their opponents, Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders, that steel-like mentality was evident until the very end.

"It must be sad (to lose in the final). However, I was also touched because I managed to endure the pain, really the pain, and endure it until the end. Thank you to my body that endured until the end," said Megawati after the fifth match of the final round which determined the Korean League title, on the SBS Sports' Off The TV program on the YouTube channel, Wednesday (9/4/2025).

Megawati tried to accept the defeat with a score of 2-3 (24-26, 24-26, 26-24, 25-23, 13-15) with an open heart. According to Megawati, winning or losing is the will of God. She and her team could only make an effort, and their efforts had been maximized.

Indeed, Megawati and her team fought until the very end. They pushed the final round to extend over five matches and forced the fifth match to last five sets over 2 hours and 33 minutes. Megawati is proud because their efforts were wholehearted, and they returned with their heads held high.

On the other hand, Megawati has shown a steely mentality throughout her journey in South Korea. The journey in the “Land of Ginseng” since last season has not always been smooth. The 25-year-old player has had to face many new things, including a more intense and tough training pattern than in Indonesia.

However, Megawati was able to get through it all. Red Sparks coach Ko Hee-jin once said that Megawati would “devour” any training menu given without complaining. Even if it was a training menu that made the 185-centimeter player cry and get frustrated.

Something similar was once expressed by the coach of the Bank Jatim volleyball team, Labib. Bank Jatim is the club that Megawati defended from 2014 to 2019.

Labib, who saw Megawati's talent since she was young, said that the player has a good attitude as an athlete. "She is disciplined, follows the instructions and training programs given. So, it is not surprising that her abilities continue to develop, she even tends to be able to be consistent at a good level," said Labib some time ago.

Megawati's attitude, who started volleyball training at the age of 14, was also highlighted by the coach of the Indonesian women's national team at the Cambodia SEA Games, Alim Suseno. According to Alim, Megawati is a disciplined player with a fighting spirit. Not only that, she is also easy to get along with so she can embrace players younger than her and can keep up with senior players.

"I hope Mega can spur the spirit of other Indonesian players. Hopefully there will be other Megas who can also pursue careers abroad. Indirectly, playing in a country with a higher level than Indonesia will also raise the level of the players. The opponents they face will also be more diverse. That will be useful when these players return to defend the national team," said Alim.

So far, only Yolla Yuliana has followed Megawati's footsteps to pursue a career abroad. Yolla had joined a club that appeared in the second caste of the Japanese Volleyball League, Tokyo Sunbeams, this season.

Megawati has shown her potential in volleyball since a young age. At first, Megawati preferred soccer. However, she eventually followed her parents' direction to play volleyball because of her tall posture.

A year after starting volleyball training, Megawati appeared in the Livoli Division Utama, the second tier of Indonesian volleyball competition, with the Bank Jatim team. Megawati led Bank Jatim to win the Livoli title three years in a row, namely in 2017, 2018, and 2019. On all three occasions, she also received the title of best player.

Megawati was then eyed by the Proliga team, the highest caste volleyball competition in the country. Only a year after debuting in the Livoli Premier Division, the player born on September 20, 1999 debuted in the Proliga with Jakarta Pertamina Energi.

At the age of just 18, Megawati has strengthened the women's national team. She even played an important role when Indonesia reached the women's volleyball final at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. This was the first final for the women's national team in 26 years.

As time went by, Megawati increasingly sought new challenges. She moved to the Thai League to strengthen the Supreme Chonburi-E.Tech club in the 2020-2021 season, following in the footsteps of Aprilia Manganang at the same club.

Manganang was the first female volleyball player to play abroad in the 2018-2019 season. In 2021, Aprilia officially changed her gender to male after corrective surgery for hypospadias and changed her name to Aprilio Manganang.

After finishing third in the Thai League, Megawati tried her luck in the Vietnamese League to strengthen Thanh Hoa. However, they only finished in eighth place.

The spotlight began to focus on Megawati when in the 2023-2024 season, she decided to go to South Korea. Judging from the ranking of the women's national volleyball team in Asia, South Korea (ranked 6) is still below Thailand (3) and Vietnam (5). However, Korea is still better than Indonesia (10).

Megawati's teammate in the national team since the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games to the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, Wilda Siti Nurfadhilah, said that her junior is a typical player who is not fussy. One of Indonesia's best female volleyball players who has just retired also hopes that Megawati's achievements will open the eyes of various parties to develop Indonesian women's volleyball.

"Megawati was one of the first female players to play abroad. This opened the eyes of athletes, coaches, administrators, and the government, that human resources, especially women's volleyball, are extraordinary and capable of competing in the international arena. That way, women's volleyball is no longer underestimated," said Wilda.

The recognition of Megawati's greatness was not only expressed and acknowledged by domestic coaches or players. Coach Ko Hee-jin has repeatedly praised Megawati's abilities and attitude. He even said that Megawati will be remembered in the history of the Korean League for her greatness.

Pink Spiders player who is also nicknamed “Queen of Korean Volleyball”, Kim Yeon-koung, also praised Megawati’s greatness. “She grew into a truly scary player and raised the level of our volleyball. On the other hand, I also wonder how scary it would be if I met Megawati when she was playing for the Indonesian national team,” Kim told Korean media, Chosun.

Deputy Chair of the Achievement Development Division of the Central Board of the All Indonesia Volleyball Association (PP PBVSI) Loudry Maspaitella had expressed his optimism about Megawati. According to Loudry, Megawati's achievements in Korea have made her a new icon for Indonesian women's volleyball. The emergence of this icon, said Loudry, will make women's volleyball development in the country increasingly inevitable.

Loudry also hopes that Megawati will get many valuable lessons in Korea. These lessons will be Megawati's provisions to go further in the international arena, whether staying in Asia or moving to Europe. What is certain, Loudry said, is that Megawati will further inspire female volleyball players in the country, especially young athletes, to follow in her footsteps.

Megawati Hangestri has become a symbol of inspiration and hope formed from the confluence of talent, courage, and determination. She jumps not only to attack and score points, but also to pave the way for other female players. And with every jump, Indonesian women's volleyball is lifted higher.

Nickname: ”Megatron”

Born: Jember, East Java, September 20, 1999

Performance:

• Juara Proliga 2024
• Peringkat kedua Liga Bola Voli Korea Selatan 2024-2025
• Peringkat ketiga Liga Bola Voli Thailand 2020-2021
• Medali perak Asian Women’s Challenge Cup 2023, ASEAN Grand Prix 2019, SEA Games Kuala Lumpur 2017
• Medali perunggu SEA Games Kamboja 2023, SEA Games Vietnam 2021, SEA Games Filipina 2019, ASEAN Grand Prix 2022
• Pemain terbaik Proliga 2024
• Best opposite spiker Asian Women’s Challenge Cup 2023
• Best opposite spiker ASEAN Grand Prix 2022
• Best server Proliga 2022
• Best scorer Kualifikasi Zona Asia Plimpiade Tokyo 2020
• Best server ASEAN Grand Prix 2019