For Naufal, from the Indonesian Men's Gymnastics Team

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Although they have not yet succeeded in reaching the finals, the Indonesian men's gymnastics team showcased their best performance on the most prestigious stage after the Olympics, the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Abiyu Rafi and his teammates dedicated their performance to their fellow comrade, Naufal Takdir Al Bari.

"This is Naufal's jacket," said Abiyu Rafi while showing the Indonesian team's jacket after the post-competition press conference at the Indonesia Arena Stadium, Jakarta, Sunday (20/10/2025). Abiyu and three other Indonesian male gymnasts officially marked their appearance at the World Championship by competing in the qualifying round in subdivision 7.

Abiyu wanted to show that Naufal was also there with them. Naufal marked the first step of the Indonesian men's team in the World Championship, an event he should have participated in had the training tragedy not occurred.

Naufal, who died after an accident during a training camp in Penza, Russia, on September 25, was originally projected to compete at the World Championships. Along with Abiyu, Naufal was scheduled to compete in the individual all-around.

Indonesia sent five male gymnasts to the World Championship. In addition to Abiyu (all apparatus), there are Satria Tri Wira Yudha (vault, pommel horse, parallel bars, and floor), Agung Suci Tantio Akbar and Joseph Judah Hatoguan (horse), as well as Muhammad Aprizal. Aprizal did not compete due to suffering from a severe flu.

All Indonesian gymnasts who competed did not advance to the final round, either in individual apparatus or overall. Abiyu finished in 48th place in the all-around qualification with a score of 69.197, 24 positions away from the last qualifying spot for the final.

Meanwhile, the best position was achieved by Satria on the vault (ranked 49th) with a score of 12.666. Agung ranked 90th (11.133) and Joseph placed 125th (8.000) on the pommel horse. Only the top 8 gymnasts on each apparatus can advance to the final.

In his specialized apparatus, the single bar, Abiyu was actually able to achieve a score of 12,500. Abiyu obtained a high score in terms of difficulty, namely 5,200.

This score represents Abiyu's highest achievement while competing in events under the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) since 2018. At the World Challenge Cup 2025 in Szombathly, Hungary, at the end of October, he achieved a score of 11.700. Outside of FIG events, his score was only higher at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, where he scored 12.650.

Abiyu also recorded the best score while competing in the FIG event during his other specialty, the floor exercise. His score reached 13.066 with a high difficulty score of 5.300. Abiyu's previous best score on this apparatus at the senior level was 12.566 at the 2025 Senior Asian Championships in Jecheon, Korea.

"Moreover, on the floor, this is my specialty along with the late Naufal. We fought together, and I dedicate this to him," said Abiyu while still showing Naufal's jacket. His eyes were misty.

It is understandable that Abiyu is sentimental. He and Naufal are quite close. Naufal has been a teammate in the national training center for the past year. They are both projected to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

What happened to Naufal is still vivid in memory, as is his dream of performing here. There is a sense of sadness because we should have performed together.

On several occasions, Abiyu and Naufal were even sent to undergo training camps abroad together, including in Japan and Korea. They spent a month each in both countries.

Emotional feelings were also expressed by Agung. "What happened to Naufal still lingers in my mind, as does his dream of performing here. There is a sense of sadness because we should have been performing together. However, in the end, we still have to fight," he said.

A similar sentiment was expressed by one of the coaches of the Indonesian men's team, Ferrous One Willyodac. The sadness is felt by all team members, including the coach. Nevertheless, Ferrous is proud of his protégés for being able to surpass their limits.

Abiyu, for instance, showcased his best movements to achieve his maximum score. Similarly, Satria was able to attain the best results on the parallel bars (11.666).

According to Ferrous, Abiyu and his colleagues not only addressed the feelings of sadness due to the tragedy of Naufal, but also managed the nervousness of debuting at the World Championship and performing in front of the public. They were even able to transform that sadness into an ambition to deliver the best results for Naufal.

"However, what also makes me proud is that they are able to maintain that ambition in the midst of it all. Because if adrenaline, ambition, or emotions take over too much, it can actually be dangerous," said Ferrous.

On the other hand, the results of the World Championship also reflect the competition at the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand 2025. According to Ferrous, although the official release of participants for the SEA Games has not yet been announced, athletes who competed in the World Championship are expected to also participate in the SEA Games.

"Because this gymnastics cannot be prepared at the last minute, there are almost no surprises. The number of athletes may decrease; there are some, but what will be presented will certainly be those who have already been prepared, including those performing here," said Ferrous.

Ferrous assesses that there is at least a potential medal from Abiyu in the pommel horse and floor exercise. With a score of 12.500 on the pommel horse, Abiyu is the best athlete among four athletes from other Southeast Asian countries.

On the floor (13,066), Abiyu only lost to the Filipino athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Carlos Yulo. With a score of 14,566, Yulo even ranked second in the qualification. He was only surpassed by the British gymnast, Jake Jarman (14,700).