The Struggle Of Beach Volleyball Athletes To Embrace The 2023 SEA Games Gold Medal: Fighting Against Pressure

JAKARTA - The men's beach volleyball team became one of the contributors to the gold medal for the Indonesian contingent at the 2023 SEA Games. This medal was obtained with difficulty.

Indonesian men's beach volleyball athlete Mohammad Ashfiya revealed that he had felt pressure before winning the gold medal.

"There is a challenge. When we were at the SEA Game volley beach yesterday we were the last, meaning it was almost finished. Seeing that all my friends had won medals, gold, we were a little nervous, I just didn't get a medal," said Ashfiya when met by reporters at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Thursday night.

Through the golden match, Team Indonesia 2 which consisted of Mohammad Ashfiya and Akbar Bintang against the Thai team, reinforced by Dinwinit Kaewsai and Poravid Taovato.

The gold medal was then won by the Indonesian team when the Ashfiya/Akbar pair were able to win two straight games with a score of 21-18 and 25-23.

Commenting on the final match, the 27-year-old athlete revealed that it was not easy to beat Thailand because he was left behind at the end of the second set.

"For the second set, we were three points ahead and three points behind. Of course there may be one of our predictions or the tempo rhythm we play needs to be changed, for example, when we are two points behind, three points, it is close to last minutes, 18-15," said Ashfiya.

Indonesia then turned things around and won two sets at once. Ashfiya also said he was grateful.

"Alhamdulillah, thank God we were able to read the opponent's strategy and be able to take these points until they won 2-0 directly," said Ashfiya.

Having felt pressure and left behind in the final, Ashfiya said the key to the success of defending gold in coastal volleyball for Indonesia is to continue to focus and be enthusiastic.

"At the previous SEA Games we were gold and now we can defend the gold. We can't help but stay focused and enthusiastic, of course we have to get it," said Ashfiya.

This best medal score is the eighth gold won by the men's beach volleyball team in a row throughout the Southeast Asian regional multi-branch sporting event since the 2003 SEA Games Vietnam.

The beach volleyball itself missed the match three times, namely in the 2013 edition of the SEA Games in Myanmar, the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, and the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.

Furthermore, after winning gold, Ashfiya has now shifted its main target to achieve the best results at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

"Our main target is at the Olympics," said Ashfiya.