Indonesian Athletics' "Citius, Altius, Fortius" Mission at the SEA Games

As a multi-sport sport, athletics could actually be Indonesia's medal powerhouse at multi-sport events like the SEA Games. However, athletics is only targeting four gold medals in the upcoming Thailand Games. On the other hand, athletes carry a mission like the Olympic motto: citius, altius, fortius. To become faster, higher, stronger.

For Indonesian women's hurdler, Dina Aulia, and her coach, Fitri "Ongky" Haryadi, winning a gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand is a certainty. The target set by the Indonesian Athletics Association (PB PASI) for them is indeed a gold medal. However, even without being specifically targeted, Ongky stated that Dina is already on the path to achieving the highest accolades at that event.

I am confident that in Thailand, the momentum will be in Dina's favor to win the gold medal. In terms of time records, she indeed leads in Southeast Asia.

Ongky's optimism is not without reason. Dina's performance in her specialty, the 100-meter hurdles, has proven to be outstanding. The time recorded by the athlete from South Kalimantan even saw a sharp increase in 2025. At the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, last May, Dina broke the national record with a time of 13.11 seconds.

Dina ran 0.40 seconds faster compared to two years ago when she competed in the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games. "I am confident that in Thailand, Dina will seize the momentum to win the gold medal. In terms of time records, she is indeed leading in Southeast Asia," said Ongky, Saturday (29/11/2025).

At the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, Dina brought home a bronze medal after competing against Vietnamese runners, Thi My Tien Huynh, who finished in 13.50 seconds, and Bui Thi Nguyen, who finished in 13.52 seconds. Dina was 0.07 seconds behind Thi Nguyen, finishing in 13.59 seconds.

However, this year, Dina surpassed two opponents who will also be strong competitors in Thailand later. At the Asian Athletics Championship, when Dina broke the record, Thi My Tien Hynh only ranked seventh with a time of 13.51 seconds. This time also became Tien Hynh's personal best record this year. Meanwhile, Bui Thi Nguyen recorded 13.43 seconds at the Hong Kong Athletics Championship 2025 as her fastest time this year.

In fact, Ongky stated that Dina has the potential to run faster in Thailand because her training times are significantly sharper. This 22-year-old runner is indeed being encouraged to increase her speed as she is not only aiming for a gold medal at the SEA Games but also setting her sights on achievements at the Asian Games and targeting qualification for the Olympics.

"The training in Japan is utilized to improve technique and enhance strength. The aspects of strength and explosiveness have proven to increase Dina's running speed," said Ongky, who has been undergoing a training camp in Japan with Dina from September 7 to November 27, 2025.

In addition to Dina, another athletics athlete who is also undergoing training at Sportsland Miyazaki, Japan, is male sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri along with the relay coaches, namely Bayu Kertanegara, Sudirman Hadi, Adith Rico, Wahyu Setiawan, and Fatah Sidik Jaelani. Dina has decided to return earlier than the initial plan of December 2, 2025, in order to have a longer acclimatization period in Jakarta.

In another athletics event, namely long-distance running, Odekta Elvina Naibaho and Robi Syianturi have also been sent to undergo training camps abroad. Odekta and Robi, who are also expected to secure gold medals, are training at the Complete Sports Athletics Training Centre in Eldoret, Kenya.

Meanwhile, other athletes are training at the national athletics training center in Pangalengan, Bandung Regency, West Java. Just last week, they moved to the DKI Jakarta Student Sports Training Center in Ragunan, South Jakarta, for acclimatization.

Three years ago, at the Vietnam SEA Games 2021, which was postponed by a year, the alarm for the Indonesian athletics team rang loudly. They had a target of eight gold medals but only managed to bring home two gold medals. This number has been the lowest in at least four editions since the Singapore SEA Games 2015.

The Indonesian athletics team was pushed down to fifth place in the final medal standings. The achievements of the "Merah Putih" team have fallen further behind Vietnam, which emerged as the overall champion with 22 gold medals, and Thailand, which secured second place with 12 gold medals.

At the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, Indonesia still lagged behind Thailand, which emerged as the overall champion with 16 gold medals, and Vietnam with 12 gold medals. However, Indonesia bounced back by securing seven gold medals and finishing in third place in the final standings.

Athletics will commence its competitions on December 11, 2025, two days after the opening ceremony of the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. However, instead of aiming for higher achievements at this 33rd edition of the SEA Games, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, along with its review team, has set a gold medal target that is actually lower than the results in Cambodia.

During a press conference on November 21, Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir stated that Indonesia's target for gold medals in Thailand is set at 80-85 pieces. According to the review team's evaluation, the target for athletics is four gold medals. Meanwhile, the management of PB PASI is reluctant to discuss medal targets or even specify the athletes who will be sent to Thailand later.

That target comes from the athletes themselves, such as Dina. The young athlete who is determined to perform better and achieve success in Thailand is the female pole vaulter, Diva Renatta Jayadi. While Dina is determined to run faster, Diva is ambitious to jump higher. They are preparing their best versions in their respective specializations.

Odekta not only carries the mission to become faster but also stronger. For Odekta, his appearance in Thailand is more than just a personal showcase and a moment to maintain his gold medal achievement.

Odekta hopes to perform stronger in order to support his brothers and sisters who are currently grieving in Sumatra, the birthplace of the runner from Siempat Nempu, Dairi, North Sumatra. Floods and landslides have struck Sumatra and claimed lives in the past five days.

"I want to dedicate this performance to my friends and family there. I was born from there and I am present for Indonesia through sports. I hope this will also be a momentum for the country to be present in my region by caring for and preventing the conversion of forests," he stated.