Indonesia's Rahmat Erwin Abdullah Dedicates Asian Games Gold to Family

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Returning home as a champion, Indonesian weightlifter Rahmat Erwin Abdullah dedicated his Asian Games 2026 gold medal in the men’s 75kg category to his family.

“Yes, for my family,” Rahmat told reporters at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Banten, on Thursday, SOctober 1, 2026, after arriving with fellow athletes from weightlifting, athletics, esports, and badminton. The contingent was welcomed by Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir and his team.

The 25-year-old lifter stood out as one of Indonesia’s five gold medalists at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Rahmat dominated his class with a total lift of 366 kilograms -- 160kg in the snatch and 206kg in the clean and jerk -- breaking the world record for both the clean and jerk and overall total in the 75kg division.

Despite the historic achievement, Rahmat emphasized that his main goal was securing gold for Indonesia. “The focus was on the gold. Records are just a bonus,” he said.

Rahmat expressed gratitude for overcoming fierce competition from international rivals to deliver victory for the national team. “Alhamdulillah, I was able to win gold,” he added.

Indonesia’s weightlifting squad also celebrated a bronze medal through Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana, who lifted a total of 191 kilograms in the women’s 49kg category.

By October 1, Indonesia had already collected five golds, surpassing the minimum goal set before the Games. Apart from Rahmat, Indonesia’s gold medal haul came from the men’s doubles badminton team, a women’s singles badminton victory, Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi in women’s speed climbing, and Nurisa Dian in women’s recurve archery.

Indonesia had entered the Aichi-Nagoya Games with a realistic target of four gold medals, lower than the seven won in Hangzhou 2023, due to several events being dropped from the program. The focus was on badminton, sport climbing, and weightlifting -- disciplines where Indonesia traditionally excels. ***