PON 2024: Rizki Juniansyah Appears In Class 89 Kilogram

Rizki Juniansyah will compete in the 89 kilogram class at the 2024 Aceh-Sumut PON (doc. NOC Indonesia).

JAKARTA The weightlifter (lifter) Rizki Juniansyah confirmed that he would appear in the 89 kilogram class at the North Sumutra-Aceh National Sports Week (PON) 2024.

This was stated by the gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Meet and Greet Team Visa Athlete Rizki Juniansyah event in Jakarta, Wednesday, August 28, 2024, afternoon WIB.

"Yesterday at the Olympics I dropped in the 73 kilograms class, but in PON I will drop in the 89 kilograms class. I exchanged classes with my brother-in-law who are both eyeing gold," he said.

Rizki's brother-in-law is Triyatno, an Indonesian athlete who previously won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the 69 kilograms class.

Rizki said that Triyatno, who is currently playing a role as a coach, had the opportunity to get gold in the 89 kilogram class so that he agreed to the class exchange.

"I am free to want to be in any class. I appreciate him so he wants to exchange classes. In this 89 kg class there is a host that I will fight," said the athlete who was born in Serang, Banten, that.

This year's 21st edition of the National Sports Week will take place from 8-20 September 2024. At the event, Rizki came down to represent Banten Province.

This year's edition marks the first time PON has been held in two provinces at once. In addition, this is the first time PON has been held in Aceh and the second time it has been held in North Sumatra after 1953.

Rizki previously said that he would still be optimally competing in PON later. He sees this event as important as the Olympics he has just undertaken.

"The motivation remains large. For this PON, we athletes are needed in all regions, especially Banten. In my opinion, PON and the Olympics are the same. The Olympics are indeed made in the world, but PON is the number one in Indonesia," he said.

Rizki won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics after successfully becoming the best in the men's 73 kilogram class. He was Indonesia's first lifter to achieve this achievement.