Aero Sutan Aswar Rented Jetski at Own Cost in SEA Games 2025

JAKARTA - Jetski athlete Aero Sutan Aswar had to pay his own pocket to rent the jetski he used when he got the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games which took place in Thailand.

Aero achieved the highest podium in the endurance open SEA Games Thailand 2025 after getting 1,132 points to narrowly beat the host athlete, Tapatarawat Joesonnusont, who bagged 1,130 points.

The question of the rented jetski made his younger brother, Aqsa Sutan Aswar, have to be satisfied with the bronze medal in the stock runabout number from which he could have won a gold medal because the jetski engine he was driving died twice.

Aero said that in addition to having to rent jetskis while in Thailand, they also did not receive any financial support from the Government, including since the national training center (pelatnas).

"Why can it be independent? Ask those who don't want to give money. Fortunately, I have money and (can get a medal) gold. If you (as a contingent) are in, there is no cost. It just happens to have money," he said.

Apart from that issue, Aero emphasized that his approach remained the same at every event. He said that he did not see the scale of the championship but focused on the race itself.

"Actually, if the world level, SEA Games, Asian Games, it is more about the match. I never saw what level. Anyway, try your best in the race. So, it's more about the race, but the scale is different," he said.

Indonesia has currently surpassed the target of 80 gold medals at the 2025 SEA Games. Indonesia's gold opportunities still exist because some of the competition numbers have not been contested.