Indonesian Weightlifter Dewi Safitri Puts in Work as Career Takes Flight

Traveling around the world is one of the perks of being a national athlete of Dewi Safitri’s caliber. As a 17-year-old, the junior weightlifter has taken her talents to countries other Indonesian kids of her age can only dream of visiting.

“Singapore is the fourth country I’ve ever been to,” Dewi said on Friday, upon arriving from the recently concluded Youth Olympic Games held in the city-state.

“I enjoy traveling,” she added, “and to be honest, I’m always happy to see my passport being stamped in different countries. It’s really cool.”

The life of a jet-setting national athlete, whose expenses in overseas competitions are all paid for by the government , is certainly enticing for any teenager. But that’s not to say trips like these are merely about seeing the sights or shopping.

For Dewi, traveling abroad means accomplishing a task first and foremost — to compete and win. And as far as getting the job done, Dewi rarely disappoints.

Participating for the first time in an international tournament, Dewi placed seventh in the girls’ 53-kilogram category at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Thailand in 2008.

In December 2009, she flew to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the Asian Junior Under-17 Championships, where she emerged the winner.

In April, Dewi was fielded in the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan, the qualifying tournament for the Youth Olympics. Again she lived up to expectations, finishing third in her favorite event and locking a spot in the Singapore Games.

Dewi’s impressive run of form continued in the Youth Olympics this month as she came away with the most important result of her career — a bronze medal at these Games that prevented a medal shutout for Indonesia.

The opportunity to see the world is something Dewi doesn’t want to waste, and she knows she can only keep that dream alive if she keeps performing well.

“I know that I have to be at the top of my game all the time so that the people supporting me will continue to trust me to send me abroad and represent the country in tournaments,” Dewi said.

Without weightlifting, Dewi would not have been able to get out of her hometown in Bekasi, much less fly out of the country.

Dewi’s father earns a living driving an ojek (motorcycle taxi), while her mother, a housewife, spends more time with Dewi and her nine siblings at home.

Dewi joined a national weightlifting training camp in Bekasi in 2003, because she wanted to help her family’s financial situation.

“By being a national athlete, I know I could do my part in fulfilling my family’s needs,” Dewi said. “But to me, it’s become more than that. As a weightlifter, I get to realize my dreams too.”

Ade Lukman, head of the athletics commission at the Indonesia Olympic Committee (KOI), said the committee was preparing Dewi and the other Indonesian Youth Olympians for bigger tournaments, with the ultimate target being the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

A stint in Brazil has Dewi excited no doubt, and she knows what needs to be done to get another stamp in her passport.

“It all boils down to hard work,” she said. “Everything else will just take care of itself.”

(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 30, 2010. Photo: JG)