Jakarta, IO – Hundreds of parents, young people and children from Indonesia and overseas came to watch the final of the 2023 Speed Climbing World Cup (IFSC World Cup) held at Lot 6 of the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex in Jakarta, Sunday (7/ 5) evening.
They cheered in support of the athletes in action on the 15-meter-high artificial wall. In total there were 120 participants from 24 countries. Indonesia as the host sent 22 athletes.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this, but I’m just happy, I’m carried away, I’m also nervous,” said one of the spectators.
In the final, Indonesian athlete Raharjati Nursamsa appeared like a “Spiderman” and became the fastest in the speed category after defeating her rival from China, Xinshang Wang.
The speed of Raharjati’s feet and hands was so coordinated that she managed to reach the top without slipping at all. Raharjati only needed 5.11 seconds to press the finish button, leaving Xinshang Wang who recorded 5.14 seconds.
Meanwhile, other Indonesian athletes Kiromal Katibin and Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi also performed the best stunts.
Even though Kiromal was not in his best form, he was able to finish third, defeating Peng Wu from China who failed to finish. Kiromal’s time was 6.34 seconds.
Read: The 2023 Speed Climbing World Cup in Jakarta
Meanwhile, Desak Made was able to improve her time record (6.52 seconds) after finishing second to Polish athlete Alexander Miroslaw. Desak previously won bronze in the IFSC World Cup Seoul series with the fastest time (6.58 seconds) in the semifinal.
The 2023 IFSC World Cup will be held again in Salt Lake City, US, on May 19-21. (rr)