JAKARTA, Aug 9 (Bernama-ANTARA) -- Sport climbing athlete Veddriq Leonardo secured Indonesia's first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the fastest in the men's speed event.
Despite a slow start, Veddriq, a former world record holder, sprinted to defeat Chinese athlete Wu Peng with a time of 4.75 seconds at the Le Bourget Climbing Venue in Paris, Antara news agency reported.
Wu had to be content with the silver medal after finishing 0.02 seconds behind the athlete from Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
Although he lost to the Chinese representative in the semifinals, Sam Watson from the United States managed to win bronze after setting a new world record in Paris with a time of 4.74 seconds. He defeated Iranian athlete Reza Alipour Shenazandifard, who finished with a time of 4.88 seconds, according to the official Olympics website.
Earlier, Indonesia's hopes for a medal in women's speed climbing at the Paris 2024 Olympics were dashed, with both Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi and Rajiah Sallsabilah being eliminated from the competition.
Desak, Indonesia's top-ranked speed climber, suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the quarterfinals, narrowly losing to China's Deng Lijuan by just 0.006 seconds. Despite her previous strong performances, Desak was unable to secure a podium finish.
"I do not know what else to say because I was fast earlier, but my opponent was faster," the 23-year-old Balinese athlete stated.
"I'll be back stronger for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics," the athlete affirmed.
Rajiah also faced challenges, losing out on the bronze to Poland's Aleksandra Kaucka.
Rajiah clocked 8.24 seconds, while Kaucka secured the win with a time of 6.53 seconds.
Meanwhile, Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw dominated the women's competition, securing the gold medal with a world record-breaking performance of 6.06 seconds. China's Deng claimed silver, while Kaucka earned bronze.
-- BERNAMA-ANTARA
