Eko Yuli Irawan declared he was a "proud Indonesian" after winning the hosts' first weightlifting gold of the Asian Games in front of President Joko Widodo on Tuesday. Veteran Irawan, 29, has won multiple major medals in a senior weightlifting career stretching back to his bronze at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, but had never before set foot on the top step of the podium.
"I'm a proud Indonesian and pleased for the country to win gold," Irawan told AFP after receiving his medal from president Widodo. "I feel like everything I have fought for I have now finally achieved." Irawan's almost flawless performance of strength and control was capped by a 170kg lift in the clean and jerk which raised the roof at the Jakarta International Expo.
To screams from his adoring home fans, Irawan saluted the country's president seated in front of him, broke into a huge smile and flashed a thumbs-up to the packed 2,000-capacity venue after setting a winning total of 311kg. Vietnam's Trinh van Vinh needed a mammoth personal best of 179kg with the final lift of the competition to snatch gold, but he crumpled in the attempt.
Finally Irawan could savour the golden moment that had always eluded him in the past, after Olympic bronzes at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, silver at Rio two years ago and Asian Games bronzes in 2010 and 2014. President Widodo presented him with his medal before he saluted again throughout his country's anthem and flag-raising.
Trinh consoled himself with silver, and the bronze went to Uzbekistan's Adkhamjon Ergashev. The absence of China and Kazakhstan, who are on year-long International Weightlifting Federation bans for multiple historic doping offences, meant North Korea dominated the first day of weightlifting on Monday.
They took both golds in the lightest men's and women's weight classes with pint-sized weightlifters Ri Song Gum in the women's 48kg class and Om Yun Chol in the men's 56kg. But Irawan ensured there would be no North Korea hat-trick as the weightlifting competition resumed Tuesday.