VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Good news has come from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. The Indonesian mixed doubles pair, Hary Susanto/Leani Ratri Oktila, won the SL3-SU5 badminton gold medal on Sunday afternoon (5/9/2021). In the final match at Yoyogi National Stadium, Hary/Leani appeared very solid and managed to beat the French pair, Lucaz Mazur/Faustine Noel. The Indonesian mixed doubles pair successfully won in a straight set, with a score of 23-21 and 21-17.

For Leani Ratri, the gold medal from the mixed doubles is the second she has won at the world sporting event for people with disabilities, which is still called the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, although it was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19n pandemic. The day before, Leani Ratri won a gold medal when paired with Khalimatus Sadiyah in the women's doubles SL3-SU5 number. They managed to get a gold medal after defeating representatives of China, Cheng Hefang / Ma Huihui, with a score of 21-18, 21-12. In addition to the two gold medals, Leani also won a silver medal from the women's singles SL 4 number last Sunday (29/8).

The success of Leani Ratri and Khalimatus Sadiyah became a new history for Indonesia's participation in the Paralympic badminton branch. Both of them were the first Indonesian badminton athletes to win the Paralympic gold medal. The success of the women's doubles also ended the 41-year wait to see Indonesian athletes win gold medals in the Paralympics. Previously, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last August, Indonesian women's doubles Gresya Polii and Apriyani also created a new history of badminton. For the first time since badminton was competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Indonesian women's doubles won a gold medal.

The good news for the gold medal from the badminton branch by the Indonesian women's doubles pair at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics was appreciated by President Joko Widodo in his Instagram account @jokowi and a video call congratulated Leani Ratri Oktila and Khalimatus Sadiyah. Meanwhile, Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani said that the victory of Ratri/Khalimatus Sadiyah was the pride of all Indonesian people. She also expressed her deepest gratitude to both of them for making the Indonesia Raya national anthem heard on the world sports stage.

Congratulations to the Indonesian team who fought in the Tokyo Paralympics! Hopefully, the achievements made today can be continued in the next international sporting events.