Blood of Indonesia, These Athletes Strengthen Other Countries in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Kapanlagi.com - The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is still ongoing until August 8, 2021. There are many interesting things that have been discussed about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Including the athletes who are fighting for their respective countries in this international sporting event held every four years.

This time, Indonesia sends 28 prideful athletes spread across 8 sports branches. One name that has recently caught the public's attention is Rio Waida. The only surfer representing the homeland in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

When performing on his surfboard, Rio Waida has stolen the hearts of Indonesians, especially women. Besides his achievements so far, his charisma and handsomeness are also reasons why he is so popular. Not only that, there are several other interesting facts about Rio Waida.

Having a unique name, Rio Waida turns out to be an athlete with mixed blood. His father is from Indonesia, while his mother is a Japanese citizen named Kaoru Waida. Both of Rio's parents are also surfers. It's no wonder that he has become a professional surfer.

If in the Indonesian contingent there is Rio Waida with mixed Japanese blood, it turns out there are also athletes of Indonesian descent who strengthen other countries in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Who are they? Let's find out more in the following review.

1. Lianne Tan, Belgium

credit: instagram.com/liannetan20

Lianne Tan is a badminton athlete who represents Belgium in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Born on November 20, 1990, this woman competed against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the women's singles group stage. Her journey in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics came to an end after being defeated in straight sets by Gregoria.

Interestingly, Lianne Tan has a close connection with Indonesia. It turns out that she has Indonesian blood in her. It is known that Lianne's father, named Henk Tan, comes from Bandung, West Java. Meanwhile, Lianne's mother, Maria Meyers, is a Belgian citizen.

During her match against Gregoria on July 28th, Lianne Tan was also seen speaking in Indonesian with her coach. Interestingly, Lianne's coach, Indra Bagus Ade Chandra, was born in Jakarta. He used to be part of the Indonesian men's singles badminton team. After pursuing his career in Europe, Indra is now a coach for the Belgian national team.

Not only fluent in the language, Lianne Tan also often expresses her pride in having Indonesian blood. She even once posted a photo of herself wearing traditional Indonesian attire. She did this to commemorate Indonesian Independence Day on August 17, 2020.

2. Father & Sister are Also Badminton Players

credit: instagram.com/liannetan20

Born in Bilze, Belgium, Lianne Tan has been involved in badminton since she was 8 years old. Her love for this sport seems to be influenced by her father and siblings who are also involved in badminton. Together with her sister, Yuhan Tan, Lianne often visits the homeland to learn badminton techniques. Throughout her career, Lianne has competed in various BWF International Challenge tournaments held in Europe, America, and Africa. Since her participation in 2008, Lianne Tan has won nine BWF International Challenge titles. The 2020 Olympics is Lianne Tan's third Olympics. She previously competed in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Currently, she is ranked 38th in the world with 230 victories in all singles and doubles competitions. In addition to her achievements in sports, especially badminton, Lianne Tan also has another prestigious profession. She graduated from the Dentistry Department of Radboud University Nijmegen in 2018. Outside of her activities as an athlete, Lianne is a dentist, KLovers.    

3. Ade Resky Dwicahyo, Azerbaijan

credit: Youtube.com/Badminton Europe via Brilio.net

Born and raised in Indonesia, Ade Resky Dwicahyo is now strengthening the Azerbaijan national badminton team in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He is the only male singles player fielded by a country located on the border of Europe and Asia. KLovers may be curious about Ade, whose name is very synonymous with Indonesia, but why is he representing Azerbaijan?

Ade Rezky Dwicahyo was born in Kendari, Central Sulawesi, on May 14, 1998. Born and raised in Indonesia, Ade once represented the homeland in the Junior Asia Championships and the World Badminton Championships in 2016. Unfortunately, Indonesia was eliminated in the quarterfinals by South Korea. Despite the loss, Ade's desire to develop his career in the world of badminton was very strong.

A year later, Ade Resky received an offer to represent Azerbaijan. Because of his determination to succeed on the international stage, Ade accepted the offer. He even relinquished his Indonesian citizenship and became a citizen of Azerbaijan.

"When I received the proposal from Azerbaijan, I felt I had a greater opportunity to pursue a career at the world level and compete in the Olympics," said Ade as quoted from the Badminton Europe YouTube channel.

4. Rising Achievements

credit: PBSI via Brilio.net

Ade Resky Dwicahyo's hope to further develop his badminton career by deciding to move to Azerbaijan is slowly coming true. In addition to getting the opportunity to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he has also achieved a series of international achievements in the past 3 years.

Last year, in 2019, Ade managed to win titles in several competitions. In the Egypt International and Cameroon International tournaments, Ade achieved first place. Meanwhile, in the Benin International, Ghana International Challenge, Kharkiv International, and Algeria International tournaments, which took place in the same year, Ade finished as the runner-up.

Not only representing Azerbaijan in the singles sector, Ade Resky also plays in the men's doubles matches with Azmy Qowimuramadhoni. His achievements are equally impressive. They have consistently won several competitions, such as the Belarus International and South Africa International in 2018. Currently, Ade Rizky is ranked 72nd in the world for men's singles and 262nd in the men's doubles sector.

5. Nyl Yakura, Canada

credit: instagram.com/nylyakura

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Nyl Yakura is a representative athlete from Canada in the men's doubles badminton sector. Together with his partner, Jason Ho-shue, Nyl competed against Indonesia's pride in men's doubles, Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan, during the group stage. Ahsan and Hendra won in straight sets with scores of 21-12, 21-11.

Many KLovers may not know that Nyl Yakura has Indonesian blood. Yes! Born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada on February 14, 1993, Nyls Kiyoshi Yakura, the full name owner, has Indonesian blood from his mother named Susan. Nyl's father is Japanese.

In addition to playing in the men's doubles category, Nyl Yakura has also played in the singles and mixed doubles sectors. As reported by Indosport.com, this 18-year-old athlete has been named the 'Golden Boy' by Badminton Canada.

The title was given because Nyl Yakura became one of the athletes with the most medals in the history of Ontario badminton. According to various sources, Nyl has won 24 medals so far. Currently, he is ranked 32nd in the world in the men's doubles sector and 106th in the mixed doubles category.

6. Setyana Mapasa, Australia

credit: instagram.com/setyanam

Another Indonesian-blooded athlete who is representing another country in this Olympics. She is Setyana Daniella Florensia Mapasa, or better known as Setyana Mapasa. The 25-year-old badminton player is representing Australia in the women's doubles sector with her partner Gronya Somerville.

Tyana, as she is familiarly called, was born in Kawangkoan, Manado, on August 15, 1995. When she was still a teenager, Tyana was considered as one of the players who could achieve success in the future. In 2013, she represented Indonesia in the Junior World Championships held in Bangkok. At that time, Tyana successfully brought home a silver medal.

According to Kompas.com, after winning the championship, Setyana Mapasa received an offer from the Australian coaching team to represent the Land Down Under. She accepted the offer and decided to move to Australia since 2013. In 2014, Setyana was naturalized and became an Australian citizen.

"In that year, there was an offer from the Australian coaching team to my parents and me to play for Australia. Coincidentally, I was injured at that time. I accepted the offer with the expectation that I would only play for one or two years before continuing my studies," she said.

7. The First Participated Olympics

credit: instagram.com/setyanam

This Tokyo 2020 Olympics is the first Olympics participated by Setyana Mapasa. In the previous Rio 2016 Olympics, she did not meet the requirement of 3 years of residency in Australia, so she couldn't compete representing the Kangaroo Country.

So far, the best achievement ever achieved by Setyana is when she won first place in the 2019 Canada Open. At that time, Setyana was also partnered with Gronya Somerville. In terms of world ranking, she currently ranks 28th in mixed doubles.

Although she has become an Australian citizen, Setyana often returns to her hometown. She shares several moments when she is in Manado on her social media.

Well, even though these 4 athletes compete to represent other countries, Lianne Tan, Ade Resky Dwicahyo, Nyl Yakura, and Setyana Mapasa still show their pride because they have Indonesian blood in them.

Let's continue to support the athletes of the homeland who are currently fighting in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, KLovers. Even though from a distance, our prayers and support can be a great encouragement for them. Keep up the spirit, Indonesian athletes!

(kpl/lou)