Indonesian Rowers Make History with Silver at World Rowing Championships

KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesian rowing made history at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai on September 25, as the national team, represented by Ali Mardiansyah and Rafiq Wijdan Yasir, secured the country’s first-ever senior-level medal by winning silver.

The landmark achievement at the sport’s most prestigious global event marks a major milestone for Indonesian athletics.

Competing in the lightweight men’s double sculls (LM2x), Ali and Rafiq finished second with a time of 6 minutes 47.40 seconds, trailing only the Chinese pair Yawei Li and Man Su, who claimed gold in 6 minutes 44.90 seconds.

“This is history. It’s the first time we’ve won a medal at the senior-level World Championships. This achievement is a tremendous source of pride for the Indonesian rowing team,” said national head coach Muhammad Hadris, as quoted by antaranews.com.

Germany’s Joachim Agne and Paul Maissenhaelter took bronze with a time of 6 minutes 50.24 seconds.

The breakthrough in Shanghai builds on Indonesia’s earlier success at the junior level, notably the bronze medal earned by the U-23 team in the Lightweight Men’s Four (BLM4-) category at the 2017 World Rowing U-23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Indonesia also fielded a team in the lightweight women’s double sculls, with Chelsea Corputty and Mutiara Putri finishing fifth in 8 minutes 1.26 seconds. China’s Zou Jiaqi and Fu Ling won gold in that event with a time of 7 minutes 26.12 seconds.

Coach Hadris believes the silver medal in Shanghai provides valuable momentum and a confidence boost for the Indonesian squad ahead of the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

“This achievement is a positive step and will strengthen the athletes’ self-belief as they prepare for future multi-sport competitions,” he said. ***