Young Jakarta Athlete Clinches Gold Medal at PON XXI Sailing

Jakarta athlete, Afriza Achmad Bagaskara, managed to record a brilliant achievement by winning a gold medal in the Techno 293 sailing sport at PON XXI Aceh - North Sumatra 2024.

My target is to get gold

At the age of just 16, he not only became the winner but also contributed the first gold medal for the sailing branch of the Jakarta contingent in this event.

This ninth-grade student of SMPN 221 Jakarta underwent his first PON with great enthusiasm. Despite it being his debut, he managed to show his best performance and achieved his target of winning gold.

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"The weather is good and supportive. This is my first time participating in PON. My target is to get gold," he expressed, after the match at Gampong Jawa Beach, Banda Aceh, Thursday (9/12).

He had to pass school time and asked for dispensation so he could focus on training to prepare for PON. He did regular training at Bahtera Jaya Windsurfing School Seasport Club (BJWSSC), where he started to seriously pursue sailing sports in 2021.

"I have been pursuing this sport since 2021. I have no experience yet, but I followed my brother who is a sailing athlete to join BJWSSC. Since then I started pursuing sailing training at BJWSSC," he explained.

His success is proof that young age is not a barrier to achieving the highest achievements. With dedication and intensive training, he was able to overcome challenges and bring home a gold medal for Jakarta.

“I want to be an inspiration to other young people to not be afraid to pursue their dreams,” he explained.

Jakarta Youth and Sports Agency Head, Andri Yansyah added that Afriza Achmad Bagaskara has proven that with strong determination, courage, and support from family and coaches, big dreams can be realized even at a young age.

"Hopefully, it can motivate more young generations to achieve in the field of sports," he said.