Olympic Silver Medalist in Archery Kusuma Wardhani Passes Away

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Olympic silver medalist in archery Kusuma Wardhani passed away at her residence in Panankkukang, Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday, November 12, 2023.

Wardhani, who bagged silver in the 1988 Seoul Olympics died of a blocked artery. Earlier, she had received intensive care at Hermina Hospital, Makassar.

"The entire Indonesian Archery Association (Perpani) expresses our deep condolences for the passing of Kusuma Wardhani, Indonesia's legendary female archer. Thank you for being our inspiration," Perpani wrote on its official website.

Wardhani along with her partners Nurfitriyana Saiman and Lilies Handayani are Indonesia's first medalists at the Olympics since Indonesia started to participate in the Olympics in 1952.

The trio won silver medals in archery at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The three Indonesian women paved the way for Indonesia to win several medals in the games later.

After winning the silver medal at the 1988 Olympics, four years later Indonesia won a gold medal in badminton, by Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

When she won the silver medal, Wardhani was only 24 years old. She was born in Makassar on February 20, 1964. Her life was never far from the archery field, according to Perpani.

Her husband Adang Adjidji is also a former athlete who coached in a national training center.

Wardhani's only daughter and child, Amanda Fajriana, followed in the footsteps of her parents to become an archer.

At the 1987 SEA Games, a year before the Seoul Olympics, she ranked first with a total score of 1251 and scored 1268 points at the Asian Championships which landed her in second place.

In the 1988 Olympics, Wardhani, Saiman, and Handayani scored 952 points, equaling with the United States, but behind the home team.

ANTARA

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