JAKARTA - Odekta Elvina Naibaho was so emotional when he touched the finish line in the 2021 SEA Games women's marathon. The athlete who was born in Soban Village, Dairi Regency, North Sumatra presented a gold medal for the Indonesian contingent.
He had fallen after crossing the finish line because both legs cramped. Odekta also had time to feel nauseous, but not for long.
After starting to improve, Odekta was warmly welcomed by other Indonesian athletic athletes. Her tears were unstoppable when Emilia Nova hugged her.
His cries became more and more as he approached the coach. He then showed me a piece of paper that read:
"Finally… My dream has come true by singing the Indonesian national anthem. Thank you, Father, Mother, for your blessing."
The writing he had prepared since the night before the race. The writing that fueled his enthusiasm to present the best results for Indonesia.
However, this 2021 SEA Games gold medal was not only presented to Indonesia. Odekta also dedicated it to his family, especially his parents.
"I did it for my family because they allowed me, they paid for me," said Odekta, as reported by Antara, Thursday, May 19.
Odekta said he had been fighting for the past two months without getting any money. This made him have to sacrifice many things, not only materially but also emotionally drained.
"I don't do that for people who when I'm on top they think of me as Odekta, but when I'm below they don't see me at all," Odekta said.
"I want to convey, not when we succeed we are loved, when it doesn't work we are thrown away," he concluded.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
