Indonesia succeeded in adding a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. The fifth gold for the Red and White team was donated by Rahmat Erwin Abdullah from the sport of weightlifting.
Rahmat Erwin Abdullah presented Indonesia with the fifth gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the men’s 73 kg weightlifting category. Competing at Xiaoshan Sports Center Gymnasium, Hangzhou, on Tuesday (3/10/2023) evening, Rahmat Erwin was able to record the best snatch lift of 158 kg and clean and jerk of 201 kg.
With a total lift of 359 kg, Rahmat Erwin was entitled to occupy the highest podium and win a gold medal. He outperformed his closest competitors, namely Weeraphon Wichuma (Thailand) and Kum Thaek Oh (North Korea). Weeraphon Wichuma won silver after scoring the best snatch of 156 and clean and jerk of 195 kg with a total lift of 351 kg. Meanwhile, Kum Thaek Oh won bronze thanks to a snatch lift of 151 kg and a clean and jerk of 193 kg (total 344 kg).
The 2022 Asian Games gold medal further confirms Rahmat Erwin Abdullah’s brilliant achievements throughout this year. Previously, the lifter from South Sulawesi successfully won the gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia and the IWF Grand Prix in Havana, Cuba. Moreover, the 22 years old wightlifter also won the gold medal recently in the men’s 73kg event at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships held in Bogotá, Colombia. In the same event previous year, Rahmat also won the gold medal.
The 2022 Asian Games gold feels even more special for Rahmat Erwin because he also broke two records at once! Rahmat’s total lift of 359 kg was an Asian Games record, while the clean and jerk of 201 kg was a world record. Especially at the Asian Games, this was Rahmat Erwin Abdullah’s first medal. Previously, he successfully presented a bronze medal for Indonesia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Rahmat is the only child of the former weightlifters Erwin Abdullah and Ami Asun Budiono. His father won silver medal at 2002 Asian games while his mother won a gold medal at 2005 SEA Games.