Indonesian Surfer Pajar Ariyana Wins Asian Games Silver After Reaching Final

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian surfer I Made Pajar Ariyana won the silver medal in the men’s shortboard event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after losing to Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi in the final in Tahara, Aichi, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.

“I’m proud of myself and, of course, proud that in my first Asian Games appearance I was able to reach the final,” Pajar said after the competition, as quoted by Antara.

“From the beginning, training with coach Dylan, coach Arya and coach Gabby, I had a feeling that a medal was possible because I was physically fit,” he added.

Pajar finished with a combined score of 10.40 points from his two best waves, earning 5.17 and 5.23 points. Igarashi secured the gold medal with a total of 12.87 points from rides worth 6.67 and 6.20 points.

Igarashi opened the final strongly, posting a score of 6.67 on his first wave in the fourth minute. He then scored 0.50 on his second wave to reach a temporary total of 7.17 points.

Pajar did not find a scoring wave until around the 10-minute mark. He earned 5.17 points on that ride before adding 0.93 points on his next attempt.

Igarashi later found another wave worth 6.20 points, lifting his total to 12.87 and strengthening his lead.

Pajar responded with his highest-scoring wave of the final, earning 5.23 points. However, his total score of 10.40 left him 2.47 points behind the Japanese surfer.

In the final standings, Igarashi finished first with 12.87 points, while Pajar placed second with 10.40.

“Of course, we hoped Pajar would win gold because a gold medal in surfing would have secured an Olympic berth. In the final, it really came down to wave selection, and Kanoa was more precise in choosing his waves,” Indonesia head coach Arya Subyakto said.

The silver medal capped a consistent run for Pajar throughout the tournament. He booked a place in the semifinals after defeating China’s Wu Shindong in the quarterfinals.

Pajar then advanced to the final by overcoming the Philippines’ Jayuard Alciso in the semifinals. In that heat, he recorded a total of 13.60 points from scores of 7.00 and 6.60. ***