Indonesia Adds Asian Games Gold as Desak Made Leads Climbing Success

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia strengthened its position at the 2026 Asian Games after Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi won gold in the women's speed climbing event on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, while the men's beach volleyball and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) teams also advanced in their respective competitions.

According to the official Asian Games record, Desak Made secured Indonesia's fourth gold medal with a time of 6.062 seconds, narrowly edging China’s Li Juan Deng, who took silver at 6.064 seconds. South Korea’s Jeong Jimin claimed bronze with 6.18 seconds, Antara reported.

Desak’s path to victory began in the quarterfinals, where she topped her heat against Tamara Ulzhabayena (Kazakhstan), Hanareum Sung (South Korea), and Jeanette Frances Koh (Singapore) with 6.39 seconds.

She then advanced to the semifinals, again finishing fastest with 6.36 seconds. In Tuesday’s qualification round, Desak had placed third overall with a best time of 6.29 seconds across four climbs.

Elsewhere, Indonesia’s beach volleyball duo Bintang Akbar and Sofyan Rachman Efendi advanced smoothly to the semifinals after defeating China’s Song Jinyang/Wang Yanwei 21–19, 21–18 in the quarterfinals at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court. They will face Japan’s Kota Kurosawa/Taito Mizumachi in the semifinal on Thursday, October 1 at 15:00 local time.

In esports, Indonesia’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) national team booked a place in the final after defeating Mongolia 2–0 in the semifinal at Aichi Sky Hall, Nagoya. The victory guarantees at least a silver medal and opens the chance for gold in the final against Myanmar.

With Desak Made’s triumph in women’s speed climbing and other strong performances across beach volleyball and esports, Indonesia continues to edge closer to its overall medal ambition.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports, together with the Indonesian Olympic Committee, has set a realistic target of four gold medals at the Aichi–Nagoya Games, down from seven in Hangzhou 2022 due to the removal of several events.

Badminton, sport climbing, and weightlifting remain the core disciplines expected to deliver, while surprise results from other sports could help Indonesia surpass expectations.

The latest achievements not only strengthen Indonesia’s medal tally but also keep the contingent firmly on track toward meeting, and potentially exceeding, the national target.

With the additional gold, Indonesia climbed to 13th place in the Asian Games medal standings, now holding a total of 31 medals: four gold, seven silver, and 20 bronze medals. ***