Zohri Pelari Tercepat Dunia dari Lombok Pikat Perhatian Dunia
Indonesia Cheers Sprint Champ who Struggled to Pay for Trainers
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
SEORANG pelari cepat yang tidak mampu membeli sepatu lari lantaran miskin telah menyentak dan menari perhatian publik di Indonesia, setelah meraih medali emas dalam Kejuaran Dunia Atletik U20 (IAAF) nomor 100 meter putra di Finlandia.
Lalu Muhammad Zohri, 18, pada Rabu meraih medali emas pertama untuk atlet Indonesia di kejuaraan dunia sebagai pelari cepat dunia.
Kabar tersebut menjadi viral di media sosial dengan pesan dukungan dari politisi, selebritas, dan atlet lainnya di Indonesia yang tergolong jarang meraih medali di kejuaraan atletik dunia.
Namun Zohri tetap menjadi sosok sederhana meskipun telah menjadi pelari tercepat dunia.
Sprinter muda ini berasal dari sebuah desa kecil di pulau Lombok, yang bermukim di rumah sederhana berdinding rumbia di Dusun Karang Pangsor, Desa Pemenang, Kabupaten Lombok Utara.
Zohri, yang orangtuanya meninggal terpaksa meminjam uang Rp400 ribu pada kakaknya untuk membeli pakaian olahraga sebelum mengikuti kompetisi IAAF.
"Saya hanya bisa memberinya semua uang yang saya miliki. Saya sangat bangga padanya," kata kakak perempuan Zohri, Baiq Fazilla sambil menangis kepada media setempat.
CNN Indonesia menyiarkan cuplikan dari keluarga Zohri yang menangis ketika dia melewati garis finish dengan catatan 10,18 detik - mengalahkan duo atlet Amerika - saat mereka menonton kompetisi IAAF melalui smartphone.
"Dia selalu suka berkeliaran di desa kami tanpa alas kaki," kata saudara perempuannya.
"Dia tidak pernah memakai sepatu karena dia tidak punya," tambahnya.
Presiden RI Joko Widodo pada Jumat menyerukan pejabat lokal untuk merenovasi rumah sederhana Zohri saat ia mengundang bintang baru ke istana presiden di Jakarta.
Zohri dijadwalkan akan bertanding bulan depan di Asian Games 2018 yang diselenggarakan oleh Indonesia seperti dikutip AFP yang dilansir MailOnline.
AN IMPOVERISHED sprinter who could not afford to buy his own running shoes has won the hearts of fellow Indonesians after his surprise victory in the 100-metre sprint at the world junior championships.
Lalu Muhammad Zohri, 18, on Wednesday landed the first medal for an Indonesian athlete at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Under-20 Championships in Finland.
Social media lit up with messages of support from politicians, celebrities and other athletes in a nation rarely associated with track-and-field glory.
But it was Zohri's humble beginnings that drew the most attention.
The sprinter is from a village on the island of Lombok, next to Bali, where his family lives in a simple bamboo and wood home.
Zohri, whose parents are dead, had to ask his sister for 400,000 rupiah ($30) to buy new trainers before the IAAF competition.
"I could only give him all the money I had. I am very proud of him," sister Baiq Fazilla tearfully told local media.
CNN Indonesia broadcast footage of Zohri's relatives bursting into tears when he crossed the finish line in 10.18 seconds -- ahead of an American duo -- as they watched the competition on a smartphone.
"He always used to like running around our village barefoot," his sister said.
"He never wore shoes because he didn't have any," she added.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo on Friday called for local officials to renovate Zohri's humble home as he invited the new star to the presidential palace in Jakarta.
Zohri is set to compete next month at the Asian Games hosted by Indonesia.
