Story: 24 years old Rifda Ilfanaltfi She has faced one obstacle after another on her path to her dream.
The athlete was hospitalized after a hard landing in Belgium.
Then came the good news and the bad news.
First the bad news: she was told she had to have surgery.
But a few hours later, she learned she had become the first Indonesian gymnast to compete in the Olympics.
:: Graphic title: Trailblazers
:: Rifda Irfanaltofi, Indonesian Olympic gymnast
“I panicked. I thought it didn't work. Then all of a sudden my friend came over and said, 'It worked!'”
It's been almost two years since her surgery.
Rihda practices countless hours each day as she prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
She will compete in gymnastics, including events such as balance beam, vault and uneven bars.
Rifda, ranked 52nd in the world, always dreamed of becoming a professional athlete.
However, Indonesia is known for excelling in sports such as badminton and weightlifting.
Rihda hopes her Olympic debut will raise the profile of gymnastics in Southeast Asia, where it is often overlooked.
She jokes that gymnastics is not well known in Indonesia.
Some people still think she does aerobics.
Rifda says it was only after she qualified that she was able to receive adequate government support.
“For now, I'm grateful for the good support from the government. There were many things that were lacking before, but because I was able to participate in the Olympics, the government started paying more attention to me. I'm grateful for the support that I felt was insufficient at first, but now it's much better.”
Longtime coach and former gymnast Eva Boutar Boutar agrees.
– She said the current support makes it difficult for Indonesian athletes to reach the world stage.
:: Eva Boutar Boutar, gymnastics coach
“It's not because we don't have the athletes. Our gymnasts are ideally small physically and that's what we need. But the lack of a support system makes it difficult for Indonesian gymnasts to reach the world level, and there are mental issues as well.”
Rifda attributes much of her success to her parents.
She proudly shows off the results of her workouts at home.
But her mother, Juliés Andriana, said it wasn't always easy to make her daughter's dream come true.
:: Yulis Andriana, mother of Rifda
“What made me sad was her clothes. I couldn't afford expensive training or gym clothes, so I always had to buy second-hand clothes from the market. It was sad, but it was all I could do. Whatever I could do, within my financial means, I did.”
Yurries said Lifda faces new challenges in Indonesia.
Religious conservatives have called photos of Rifda in a leotard “pornographic” and have harassed her online.
:: Jakarta, Indonesia
Nevertheless, Rifda has spent the last few weeks training in a rundown gym in East Jakarta in the run-down weeks leading up to Paris.
– Dealing with a knee injury, I've been honing my skills on an old balance beam and a worn mat.
While Lifda admits she is nervous about competing against other gymnasts, winning the gold medal is not important to her.
“Other athletes are great, but I'm not. I still think that sometimes, but I tell myself that I can do it, I have the ability. At this Olympics, the gold medal is not my goal, so I should relax.”
