Thank you Siman, Welcome Jason Donovan

I Gede Siman Sudartawa smiled broadly after stepping down from the podium with the bronze medal from the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand hanging around his neck. Never in his illustrious career has the legendary Indonesian swimmer been so happy despite failing to stand on the highest podium. He was not the Siman as usual.

"Last. Last. Last..." Siman said confidently about his performance at the SEA Games. "How have you been? I'm happy and satisfied to finally be the backup for the 50-meter backstroke. I'm the last 90s-born (on the team). It's time to close the book on the 90s, time to hand it over to someone else," he continued.

It is clear why Siman was not too disappointed after the 50-meter backstroke final at SAT Stadium, Bangkok, Thursday (11/12/2025). He arrived with the intention of achieving a good performance, but he did not carry excessive ambition. The nine-time SEA Games gold medalist simply wanted to perform to the best of his ability on his final stage before retirement.

Siman had already planned to retire before departing for Thailand. This decision became more resolute after the competition. His age of 31 years does not lie. Just look at the final, he managed to lead the race until the last ten meters. Then, as he entered the decisive moment approaching the finish, he lost both strength and speed.

From chasing time, the Balinese athlete is now being defeated. His mind feels he can still do it, but his body isn't in sync. "I've had support in many ways. I've taken vitamins, taking 15 capsules at a time, gym, recovery, everything, but my body just can't support it. What else can I do?" he said.

While having a casual conversation, Siman did not deny that the promise of a gold bonus amounting to Rp 1 billion from the government is indeed very tempting. However, he does not dare to think in that direction. His body alarm has been sounding since the beginning of the year when he experienced back injury problems while preparing for the SEA Games.

Actually, Siman intended to retire at the Aceh-North Sumatra PON 2024, like his contemporaries Patricia Yosita Hapsari and Gagarin Nathaniel Yus. However, he is still curious about the SEA Games, which is only about a year away. "It turns out that after the PON, there are even more obstacles," he said with a chuckle.

Siman stated that there is one thing that makes him confident to retire with peace of mind. That is the presence of a long-awaited successor. This figure emerged through the debut swimmer, 18-year-old Jason Donovan Yusuf, who immediately shone at the SEA Games. Jason secured two gold medals within just the first two days of the competition.

One of Jason's gold medals was won in the 50-meter backstroke, a specialty event for Siman. Siman, who was the gold medalist in that event at the 2023 Cambodia edition, handed over his crown to Jason in Thailand. On the podium that night, Jason stood tall in the highest position, with Siman beside him on the left.

Hardly anyone could predict Jason's explosion, including his coach Billy Arfianto. Siman is different. "I said from the beginning that Jason could do it. It turns out he really can. Swimming is a measurable sport. So since the beginning of the year, he has been making continuous progress. It was just a matter of time before he reached that point," explained Siman.

Although appointed as Siman's successor, Jason has a personality that is very different from that of his senior. Siman is known to be "warm" and sociable with everyone, including those he has just met. In contrast, Jason is very "cold" and does not like to talk too much, especially with new people.

That "cool" attitude carried over into the pool and became a positive aspect. For a debuting swimmer, it is very challenging to cope with the immense pressure at a multi-sport event like the SEA Games. However, this was not the case for the teenager, as evidenced by the remarkable courage displayed when winning gold in the 50-meter and 100-meter backstroke events.

Jason's opponents in those two events were formidable, namely the veteran swimmer from Singapore, Quah Zheng Wen, who has collected 32 gold medals at the SEA Games. Jason was not intimidated at all. He fell behind in the qualifying rounds twice in a row but always managed to turn the situation around in the finals.

The key is to perform without pressure. Jason learned from his experience at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games last November. He had high expectations for a medal, but it ended in an anticlimate. "I'm more about enjoying it because I wasn't really targeting a medal. I just wanted to be better than before," said the teenager, who idolizes Olympic swimmer Caeleb Dressel.

Jason almost quit swimming during the Covid-19 pandemic, around 2021. At that time, many pools were forced to close, including his club, Nautilus Aquatic. Many of his friends switched clubs. However, just as he was about to give up, one of his friends persevered and encouraged him to prove himself. From that point, his enthusiasm was rekindled.

His performance has steadily improved since then, peaking this year. Last May, Jason set a national record in the 50-meter backstroke in age group 1 (16-18 years old) with a time of 25.47 seconds. He changed the national record record previously dominated by Siman. "It's an honor for me to take the crown from Sis Siman and continue it," he said.

Jason has been training at the Nautilus club since the age of six. He is coached by Billy, a former swimmer from the 2000s. According to the coach, Jason's strengths lie not only in his physical talent. His protégé is also intelligent in processing various matters. It is not uncommon for Jason to argue about more effective training programs.

Interestingly, Billy apparently uses national team coach Albert C. Sutanto as a role model. Albert is the most influential coach in Siman's career. "Bonding between athletes and coaches is very important. Albert and Siman's bond is really tight. I'm trying to learn from that. I also asked Jason to take the best from Siman," Billy said.

Regeneration has officially blossomed in Thailand. The baton of Siman has finally been embraced by young swimmers. Apart from that, the celebration of the brilliant career of "the king of the backstroke" is also worthy of celebration. From a child who was afraid of water, Siman concluded his career as the most influential swimmer in the country over the past two decades.

After retiring, Siman will focus on pursuing a career as a civil servant at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. He wants to support swimming from "within." It is fitting that Siman accompanied Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir during a visit to SAT Stadium. "Coincidentally, I also took the opportunity to introduce myself, ha-ha-ha," joked Siman.

Dear readers, the Kompas daily has opened a column titled Letters for Athletes, which contains opinions, encouragement, or comments regarding the performance of Indonesian athletes at the SEA Games in Thailand 2025. Please send your brief comments, consisting of a minimum of two sentences and a maximum of six sentences, by filling out the form below. Selected comments will be published in the Kompas daily during the SEA Games 2025.