Maryam March Maharani, Indonesian judo athlete
Jakarta, IO – Judoka Maryam March Maharani, representing Indonesia in the 2024 Paris Olympics, will satisfy the longing of fans of this sport. Rani, as she is familiarly called, also became the flag bearer for the Indonesian contingent, at the opening ceremony parade.
Rani is the first Indonesian athlete to compete in the world’s leading sports competition since judo was removed from the schedule 12 years ago. Indonesian judo last too part in the Olympics in 2012. The last Indonesian judoka to compete in the 2012 London Olympics was Putu Wiradamungga Adesta, who is now working as Rani’s coach.
The 24-year-old woman competed in the 52 kg class. Rani got her ticket to this year’s Olympics through the Asian Continental qualification route, with a sixth-place ranking. Of course, this is her best achievement of her career.
Rani’s struggle to compete in the Paris Olympics was not easy. She had to gradually collect points. She participated in all the championships. She even had to miss precious moments with her family at home.
“It’s been quite a long time to be able to appear in the Olympics this time. Honestly, it’s very hard and difficult. You have to collect as many points as possible to be able to qualify through the existing championships. It’s been an extraordinary struggle to get to this point and I didn’t expect to make it to the Olympics,” said Rani, while chatting after returning from Paris at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Tuesday 30 July.
Rani was born in Jakarta, March 8, 2000. During her career, she has put together an impressive record of achievements. Being the runner-up at the 2024 Hong Kong Asian Open championship. Then ranked third at the 2024 Warsaw European Open. While at the national level, she managed to win a gold medal at the 2021 Papua National Sports Week (PON).
Long before that, Rani apparently began studying judo at the age of 12. She trained at a local judo club in Jakarta. Her high dedication and extraordinary talent made her quickly known in the judo community.
“I got to know judo near my house. At first I just followed along, even though it was my younger sibling first. Then I focused more deeply until I finally entered PPOP Ragunan. After that I entered Pelatnas and my family supported me.
Read: Supporting Indonesian Athletes, Promoting Pencak Silat in Paris
“There it was a process and I routinely participated in various championships,” explained Rani.
Now, Rani is looking forward after failing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She lost to Distria Krasniqi, Kosovo’s representative, in Round 16. There are many valuable experiences and lessons learned after meeting many great judokas from various countries.
“The competition at the Olympics is very strong. Of course there are many evaluations that must be done. The main thing is mentality and technique. Experience is also important because this is a big championship. You have to fight even harder and train optimally.” (rp)