Indonesian rock climber Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi chose not to think too much
about the results when faced with several postponements before appearing in the women's speed final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Desak Made said the postponement due to technical issues that occurred during the final was quite disturbing because his physical and mental condition was ready to compete.
"Because my body was ready, my mind was ready. Then suddenly it was postponed by five minutes, then another five minutes," said Desak Made after the race at the Portmesse Nagoya Exhibition Hall, Aichi, Japan, Wednesday.
"It was more of a matter of sincerity. I've seen that other participants' times were good, but not always. So, I just went for it with sincerity."
In this situation, Desak Made tried to distract himself and maintain a positive mindset to avoid losing his concentration. He also chose not to become overly stressed after seeing the other participants' tight times.
This approach then led Desak Made through every stage of the competition, starting from the quarter-finals, semifinals, until reaching the final.
In the quarterfinals, Desak Made clocked 6.39 seconds, becoming the fastest in his heat. He then returned to the top in the semifinals with a time of 6.36 seconds.
In the final, Desak Made competed closely with China's Li Juan Deng. He ultimately clocked 6.062 seconds to secure the gold medal. Li Juan Deng finished with a time of 6.064 seconds, leaving Desak Made with a lead of just 0.002 seconds.
This achievement also set an Asian Games record. However, Desak Made admitted he didn't understand the results when he first touched the finish button.
"Earlier, when I finally got my first hold, I saw that the one that was lit was the one with the big one. It was still blank, wondering which one would win, which one would be this one. Because if I had to climb, that's it, just climb willingly," said Desak.
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