When talking about the eastern part of Indonesia, most people will talk about the natural ecosystem and vacation. However, they are more than that. Some of the locals are part of the legendary athlete figures in Indonesian. And some of them are born in West Papua. To elaborate on those Papua athletes with grand achievements, read for more. h
The Black Pearl Region’s Athletes You Should Know
1. Boaz Salossa – National Soccer Player
One of the famous athlete figures from Papua is Boaz Salossa. His name is part of Indonesian football legends that plays as a forward for Liga 1 Club in Borneo. The man was born on March 16th, 1986 and up till now, his football career still going on and thriving. However, his long journey as a footballer is far from easy.
He was part of three different teams in his youth career. In his senior career, he joined the Persipura Jayapura team from 2004 to 2021 era. In 2016, he also loaned to the Cersae team for a year. The current team is in Borneo. The signature skill that made him known is the high-level dribbling technique, left-foot pass, and good shooting accuracy.
The West Papua man also set his footprint on the national team career. He came out as part of Indonesia U17 (2003), U19 (2004), U23 (2005-200), and Indonesia (2004-2018). His biggest achievement is sports awards and titles, such as one Indonesian champion with Persipura, three top scorers, and three footballers of the year awards.
2. Franklin Ramses Burumi – Track And Field Athlete
Not many people know this man without the huge recognition in Sea games 2011 in Jakarta Palembang. The runner born in 1991 achieved the dazzling gold medal for Indonesia at the sporting event. His achievement was unpredicted and many people does not expect him to run in the first place.
He has been part of many international championships since 2009. He was a runner on 200 m male in the event. And in 2010, he also appeared in the Asian game to represent west Papua and Indonesia in a 100-meter run. He gained a lot of achievements, and his personal best is in the 100 meters run in the March 29th, 2011 contest.
3. Nesthy Stella Iriani Pedai – Wall Climbing
Another Papuan that makes Indonesia and the region proud is Nesthy Stella Triani Pedai. She is one of the rising stars in Indonesian athletes since her brilliant performance in PON (Pekan Olahraga Nasional) XX. While her name is just a new entry, many have predicted her achievement in the sporting event in Papua.
The amazing point is that her career is pretty new and considered a newbie. She starts wall climbing as a sport in 2019. However, her agile movement makes her part of the easter region team. And long and behold, she won the gold medal in PON XX West Papua. Achieving a gold medal for Papua was part of her dream, which she proved real in the sporting event.
4. Maikel Markus Morin – Javelin
PON XX also highlights a new potential athlete namely Maikel Markus Morin. He is the champion of the javelin throw sport. He is a man that competes in the F13 class, which is for people with light blind conditions. His brilliant achievement under his physical condition makes him worth the praise.
What made his achievement get more recognition and attention is that it was his first competition in PON. He never has before participated in the javelin throw competition. However, he did participate in the shot put and discus throw event. Again, his success was unexpected. Thus, the west Papua man has gained more attention and decided to get the same gold medal in other events.
5. Lisa Rumbewas – Weight Lift
When talking about the Papuan athlete that has huge achievements, Raema Lisa Rumbewas should be part of the list. She is one of the weightlifting legends in 2000-2010. The female lifter has collected several medals in the Olympiad, which makes her one of the most weightlifter medal holders in this event.
Lisa was born in Jayapura, September 10th, 1980. During her twenties, she made her debut at the 2000 Olympiad event in Sydney and won silver. Her other wins are in the 2004 Olympiad with bronze, her last sport in Beijing 2008 got silver. Her retirement was not the last time she was in a sporting event. She appears again in the PON XX west Papua and Papua as part of the committee.
Of course, those names were only a glimpse of Papuan achievement. Tons of rising athletes start gaining their careers in national or international sports events. It shows the fact that the west region and Papua have gotten more recognition. That also elaborates that Papua is no longer left behind. It is a developing region in Indonesia.
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