Still Ambitious To Compete In The Riau Olympics Paris 2024, Riau Archer Ega: I Want To Get A Medal

NOC Indonesia press conference officially sends athletes home (Photo: NOC Public Relations)

JAKARTA - NOC Indonesia has officially repatriated the athletes, coaches, and officials who are members of the Indonesian Team after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They returned to their respective sports federations where they took shelter.

The 12 athletes who returned to their homeland on Sunday, August 1 came from three sports, namely badminton (Mohammad Ahsan, Jonatan Christie, Melati Daeva, Marcus Gideon, Gregoria Mariska, Hendra Setiawan, and Kevin Sukamuljo), archery (Diananda Choirunisa, Riau Ega, Arif Dwi Pangestu, and Bagas Prastyadi), and swimming (Aflah Fadlan Prawira).

Riau Ega Agatha, one of the archers who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said that he was still aiming for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ega previously also appeared at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"Still, but we'll see in the future," said Ega in an electronic message received by VOI, Sunday, August 8 night.

"I personally still want to get a medal, but we don't know what the future journey will be, but I will still try my best," said the 29-year-old man.

Riau Ega Agatha (Photo: DOK NOC)

Furthermore, Ega said that the results of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would be used as an evaluation material, including to adapt to a more varied weather.

“Factors that influence archery are not only from oneself, but also from the weather. So far we have only practiced in one place, while at the [Tokyo 2020] Olympics we are facing rainy and windy weather. Maybe next time, we can practice in a more varied place in terms of weather,” he added after the event.

During the release ceremony, the Chef de Mission of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Rosan P. Roeslani gave a brief report at the beginning of the event where the athletes who returned to Indonesia were in good health and had completed the quarantine period.

In line with Rosan, the General Chair of NOC Indonesia, Raja Sapta Oktohari, also reminded that at the end of the year, the qualification process for the 2024 Olympics will begin, so athletes must return to training. According to Okto, the Olympics is the main target for the development of Indonesia's sports achievements, and increasing the number of athletes who qualify for the Olympics is the most important thing rather than just focusing on the number of medals.

A total of 28 Indonesian athletes from eight sports participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the results of five medals, namely one gold won by Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu (badminton women's doubles), one silver contributed by Eko Yuli Irawan (weightlifting - 61kg), and three bronze medals each from Windy Cantika Aisyah (weightlifting – 49kg), Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (weightlifting – 73kg), and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (badminton – men's singles).