Indonesia’s Desak Made wins rock climbing gold at 2026 Asian Games

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2 hours ago

Nagoya, Japan (ANTARA) – Indonesian rock climber Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi won the gold medal in the women’s speed category at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after clocking a time of 6.062 seconds in the final in Nagoya on Wednesday.

Desak Made led the gold medal race, beating China’s Li Juan Deng, who took silver with a time of 6.064 seconds.

Meanwhile, South Korean athlete Jeong Jimin won the bronze medal with a time of 6.18 seconds.

Desak Made’s path to the podium began in the quarterfinals, where she competed in heat four alongside Tamara Ulzhabayena of Kazakhstan, Hanareum Sung of South Korea, and Jeanette Frances Koh from Singapore.

In that heat, Desak Made finished first with a time of 6.39 seconds, advancing to the semifinals.

Indonesia fielded Berthdigna Devi Surya Kusuma in the quarterfinals as well. Competing in heat two against Eilin Tan of Singapore, Yafei Zhou from China, and Adeliya Uthesva of Kazakhstan, Devi Surya finished second in her heat with a time of 6.73 seconds.

However, she was eliminated in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, in the semifinals, Desak Made posted the fastest time in her heat at 6.36 seconds. The result sent her through to the final and opened up Indonesia’s chances of winning the gold medal.

In the final, Desak Made secured the gold medal with a time of 6.062 seconds, just 0.002 seconds ahead of Li Juan Deng, who finished with a time of 6.064 seconds.

Previously, in the women’s speed qualifying round on Tuesday (September 29), Desak Made placed third with a best time of 6.29 seconds from four climbs across four routes.

This achievement pushed Indonesia up to 13th in the medal standings, bringing its total to 31 medals, including four gold, seven silver, and 20 bronze.

Three other gold medals for Indonesia were secured by badminton pair Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the men’s doubles, weightlifter Rahmat Erwin Abdullah in the men’s 75-kilogram, and the badminton men’s team.