Indonesia Keeps Surfing Medal Hopes Alive Through Made Pajar and Jasmine Studer

Competing at Pacific Long Beach in Tahara, Aichi, Japan, on Tuesday, September 29, the two Indonesian surfers successfully navigated changing conditions that tested competitors throughout the day. “The waves were quite difficult today. They were supposed to be faster and bigger, creating double-ups,” said Indonesian surfer Kya Jo Heuer, who competed in the quarterfinals, as quoted by Antara.

According to Kya, rain did not significantly affect the competition, but shifting wave patterns made conditions unpredictable. “The rain wasn't a problem. The waves changed a lot compared to earlier when Jasmine competed. In surfing, it's 50 percent luck and 50 percent skill,” she said.

Made Pajar secured his semifinal berth after defeating China's Wu Shindong in the quarterfinals. The Bali-born surfer posted a total score of 12.67 points, including 7.67 points on his opening wave and 5.00 points on his second.

Jasmine also advanced from the quarterfinals with a score of 10.67 points. She recorded 6.50 points on her first wave and 4.17 points on her second to defeat the Philippines' Juralyn Espanola, who managed 6.64 points.

Indonesia's bid for multiple semifinalists, however, was reduced when Kya and Bronson Meydi were eliminated in their respective quarterfinal heats. Kya scored 6.97 points but fell short against Japan's Minami Nonaka, who posted 8.10 points.

Bronson also exited the competition after losing to Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi. Bronson scored 11.33 points, while Igarashi advanced with 14.00 points. Despite their exits, Kya expressed optimism about Indonesia's remaining medal chances. “Hopefully Jasmine and Made Pajar can win gold,” she said.

The hopes of the Indonesian contingent were then carried into the semifinals by Made Pajar and Jasmine. Made Pajar continued his strong run by defeating the Philippines' Jayuard Alciso to book a place in the men's shortboard final. He collected a total score of 13.60 points from two waves, scoring 7.00 and 6.60 points, respectively.

Alciso finished with 12.37 points, comprising scores of 6.67 and 5.70 points. “One more step,” Made Pajar said after securing his place in the gold-medal heat.

The result set up a final against Japan's Igarashi, who produced the highest score of the semifinals with 18.33 points in a dominant victory over the Philippines' Toby Espejon.

Meanwhile, Jasmine's bid for a place in the women's final ended in the semifinals. The Indonesian surfer lost to Japan's Mirai Ikeda, who scored 10.83 points compared to Jasmine's 8.17.

Although she missed out on the gold-medal match, Jasmine remained in contention for a podium finish and was scheduled to face Japan's Nonaka in the bronze-medal contest. Nonaka advanced to the third-place playoff after losing to China's Siqi Yang in the other semifinal. ***