PB Persani Appreciates Rifda's Winding Road To The 2024 Olympics

JAKARTA The Executive Board of the Indonesian Gymnastics Association (PB Persani) or Gymnastics Indonesia expressed appreciation for the winding road of Rifda Irfanaluthfi towards the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Rifda appeared injured while making her Olympic debut on Sunday, July 28, 2024. This condition allows him to only appear on one tool, namely the unique bars (twisted ceiling) number all around.

PB Persani chairman, Ita Yuliati, said that Rifda's struggle to hold the status of the first Indonesian gymnastics athlete to appear at the Olympics was not really easy.

"I, as the General Chair of the Indonesian Gymnastics, am grateful that in the end our struggle to bring Rifda to the Olympics has been successful," he said.

Rifda suffered an injury to the meniscus (thickness to the knee) and ACL (torn the knee ligament). Three weeks before the Olympics, while undergoing a training camp in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, his knee had swollen again.

Rifda's condition had improved so he returned to try four tools during training. However, only for a short time, he immediately returned with three tools because he had not recovered 100 percent.

While in Paris, to be precise during a training session, Rifda again suffered an injury while jumping on the vault. Various attempts were made by the medical team, but he ended up unable to appear on three tools.

Even in such conditions, Rifda decided to continue to complete her performance at the Olympics. He was even assisted by coach Eva Butarbutar when competing.

Ita said that Rifda and the coach's struggle to realize their dream of appearing in the Olympics was not a day's work.

"Rifda has legally won the Olympian title. The journey to the Olympics is what we must appreciate together because it is not easy to achieve the Olympics," said Ita.

Ita melanjutkan setelah agenda Olimpiade, tugas Persani ke depan akan semakin berat. Dia mengatakan torehan sejarah ini harus dilanjutkan.

"Our next task together is to prepare the Indonesian Gymnastics team to participate in the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship 2025 in Jakarta and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. We have prepared this from now on," he said.