Higher Target Challenges for Hurdler Dina Aulia

TOKYO, SUNDAY — Dina Aulia, the sole representative of Indonesia at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, has not yet achieved the desired results. However, her performance in Tokyo serves as a motivation for Dina to conquer the challenges of competing at the Asian and global levels.

Dina Aulia marked her appearance at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in her specialty event, the 100-meter hurdles, starting from the preliminary round on Sunday (14/9/2025) morning local time. Dina was sent as the sole representative of Merah Putih after receiving an invitation quota due to the absence of Indonesian athletes who met the qualification limit.

Competing at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, in the second heat, Dina finished sixth with a time of 13.28 seconds. Only the three fastest hurdlers in each heat advanced to the semifinals. As a result, Dina's progress to the World Championships was halted.

After the race, the hurdles coach of the Indonesian athletics national training center, Fitri "Ongky" Haryadi, stated that the results achieved by Dina did not meet the target to sharpen the national record. Dina currently holds the national record with a time of 13.11 seconds.

However, Ongky remains grateful and proud because Dina still delivered a good performance despite being disrupted by issues outside the competition, namely a delayed flight and a short rest period. Ongky and Dina arrived in Tokyo just a day before the competition and were only able to rest in the afternoon.

In fact, the initial plan was for them to be in Tokyo two days before the competition. Ongky stated that what they experienced at the World Championship serves as a lesson in preparing for the next competition.

"Although there is certainly an impact on her psychology, Dina continues to fight, so I remain pleased because Dina is not bothered by the disturbances that occur," said Ongky when contacted from Jakarta.

In addition to the lessons learned in managing their journey before the competition, the results at the World Championship also serve as an evaluation and motivation for Ongky and Dina. Moreover, they are currently undergoing a training camp program in Japan since last week.

They are part of the athletes and coaches who were sent to undergo training camp in Aoshima, Miyazaki, Japan. This program allows them to focus more on improving their performance.

Most importantly, they also have the opportunity to hone their skills through competition. Each competition, Ongky stated, will provide evaluative feedback while simultaneously sharpening their abilities.

During this past week, Ongky observed that Dina's training was on the right track. He also revealed that he had discussed with the Japanese coach whose protégé has already reached the Olympic Paris 2024 limit of 12.77 seconds.

From the discussion, they found that there are several techniques of Dina that could be improved to reduce time. One of them is the technique during landing.

If this movement can be improved, Ongky is optimistic that Dina's record time will become sharper. With Dina's performance also continuously developing and her just turning 22 years old, Ongky is confident that Dina can become Indonesia's first hurdler to break the 12-second barrier.

Not only that, Ongky stated, Dina can also achieve higher targets set for her, namely reaching the Asian and world levels. "Mr. Luhut (Chairman of the Indonesian Athletics Association) challenged Dina to run in 12.7 seconds or 12.8 seconds. Dina accepted that challenge," said Ongky.

"This is also a challenge for me as a coach. I am confident, and Dina is also confident. Therefore, the target is Asia at the Asian Games and the world by meeting the Olympic qualification limit," he added.

Dina has actually begun to enter the Asian competition. When she set the national record of 13.11 seconds, Dina achieved this at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, last May.

Although she has not yet succeeded in winning a medal, Dina managed to reach the finals and finished in fourth place. The hurdler from Hulu Sungai Tengah, South Kalimantan, outperformed other Southeast Asian runners.

At the Southeast Asian level, particularly at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, Dina has not yet succeeded in winning a gold medal. Dina secured a bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles event with a time of 13.59 seconds.

However, with the increasingly pressing timeline, it is not impossible for Dina to surpass that achievement at the SEA Games in Thailand 2025. During the Asian Championships, Dina outperformed the Vietnamese runner who also reached the final but finished in 7th place, Thi My Tien Hynh.

Besides Dina, another athlete undergoing training in Japan is men's sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri. Zohri is accompanied by coach Achmad Sumarsono Sakeh. They are also assisted by physiotherapist Sahid Prasetia.

According to the statement from PB PASI, the training center location at Sportsland Mizayaki offers an international standard track, modern recovery facilities, and a conducive environment for elite sprinters. The weather there is also relatively stable and has direct connections to major sports facilities.

For these reasons, this location was chosen for the national training center for Indonesian athletes. They will undergo training until December 2, 2025.

In another athletics event, long-distance running, Odekta Elvina Naibaho and Robi Syianturi were also sent to a training camp abroad. Together with coach Dwijanarto and masseur Wildan Wahyudin, they trained at the Complete Sports Athletics Training Centre in Eldoret, Kenya.

Eldoret is known as a center for endurance training and the best athletic training in Africa, located at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level. In addition to a tranquil environment, there are integrated rehabilitation and nutrition facilities to maximize the performance of long-distance runners.