The Zero Point of Alarice and Salsabila's Winding Adventure to the Olympics

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The debut at the World Championship marks the greatest achievement for Indonesia's artistic gymnasts, Alarice Mallica Prakoso and Salsabila Hadi Pamungkas. However, in terms of Indonesia's significant goal of qualifying gymnasts for the Olympics again, their journey is still very far and is just at the starting point.

Alarice (17) and Salsabila (19) became the stars among the world's gymnasts at the Indonesia Arena Stadium, Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/10/2025). Supported by hundreds of home fans, they performed with great confidence. Alarice, although admitting to feeling a bit nervous, managed to throw a heart sign to the audience stands before taking action.

When Alarice appeared cheerful, Salsabila was very focused and serious. Her eyes were always fixed on the apparatus. On the first apparatus, the vault, Salsabila immediately scored 12.933. The score of the athlete from East Java was already better than her performance at the Jecheon Asian Championships 2025 in South Korea (12.233) last June. It was a good start.

Alarice is determined not to be outdone. She also showcased her best performance in her favorite event, the floor exercise. Dressed in a bright red uniform and sparkling diamond-like accessories, the athlete from DKI Jakarta executed a routine of acrobatic movements and feminine choreography. She received a score of 11.766. This is quite high when considering the judges' very detailed assessments in that event.

"I feel very happy, honored, excited, and relieved all at once. It is wonderful to see friends and family who came to support. This is very enjoyable and an extraordinary experience for me. All the hard work has finally paid off," said Alarice, who has just joined the national training center for about the past year.

There were not many critical mistakes made by the two representatives of "Merah Putih" during their performance on all four apparatuses. They only briefly lost their balance and fell on the balance beam. However, Alarice and Salsabila were unable to advance to the finals as they still fell short in terms of difficulty level and execution of movements.

In the overall competition, Salsabila (44.266) and Alarice (44.432) did not make it into the top 24, which is a requirement to advance to the finals. They also have not been able to break into the top eight in four events. "It was an extraordinary opportunity. I have mixed feelings. The performance was quite maximal, although there are still areas that need improvement," said Salsabila.

Reflecting on their experience and abilities, the performance of Alarice and Salsabila was certainly not disappointing. It is understandable that the team's female coach, who is known for her perfectionism, Eva Novalina Butar Butar, could smile broadly after her students' performance concluded. She also warmly embraced both gymnasts.

"Their scores are indeed low (compared to elite gymnasts worldwide), that is true. Therefore, their skills still need to be improved. The execution of movements as well. Regarding the judges, it is indeed very detailed. That is the choice of FIG. There are values that do not count because they really have to be perfect," said Eva.

The issue is that the target for gymnastics in the country is no longer just to participate in the World Championships. After successfully sending its first gymnast to the Olympics through Rifda Irfanaluthfi, Indonesia's level has risen. The minimum goal is to aim for qualifying athletes again for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

With Rifda now retired, Alarice and Salsabila have become the main hopes for Indonesia moving forward. However, based on the results at the Indonesia Arena, they still appear to be far from reaching Olympic level. Moreover, specifically for LA 2028, the gymnasts only have an effective two years before facing qualification.

Eva, who accompanied Rifda to qualify for Paris 2024, stated that the preparation process for the Olympics requires two cycles. This means that the program is conducted over a long term of eight years. For instance, after not qualifying for Tokyo 2020, Rifda immediately prepared herself to qualify for the next edition.

According to Eva, the most crucial task is increasing the difficulty and execution of a gymnast's movements, but that takes time. "Executing the movements takes longer than learning the movements. Like Rifda, she already had the skill ten years earlier, but it took years to mature the movements and execution. When it comes to gymnastics, it's all about perfection," she said.

The reflection of the reality of Indonesian gymnasts can be seen in the overall apparatus rankings. At the Southeast Asian level, they still lag behind Singaporean gymnast Amanda Yap (47.666). Amanda is an athlete born in 2009 and is only 15 years old. This is even more pronounced when compared to senior gymnast from the Philippines, Aleah Finnegan (49.299).

Upon closer examination, Amanda's abilities are quite high and consistent across all apparatus. She is particularly exceptional on the balance beam, achieving a difficulty level (D Score) of 5.500. This is equivalent to that of elite gymnasts worldwide. In contrast, Alarice's highest D Score is 4.500 on the floor exercise, and Salsabilla's is 4.200 on the vault, which are still far from the world level.

Alarice realizes that her journey is still far when compared to other elite gymnasts in Indonesia Arena. "This is the first time I have seen elite athletes in person, and I am certainly amazed. I am very impressed. Regarding self-improvement, I always want to develop. There is no need to look at other athletes because my goal since childhood has been to qualify for the Olympics," she concluded.

On the other hand, only two out of three Indonesian female gymnasts participated in the qualification. One of them, Larasati Rengganis, was unable to compete due to an injury to her hand. For her safety, Larasati had to forgo her debut. However, Larasati continued to support the team and assisted in carrying equipment even though she could not perform.