UNS — Tokyo Paralympic 2020 was concluded, but the achievements of Indonesian athletes left a nice mark for Indonesian people. Karisma Evi Tiarani, a Communication Science student of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, was one of the athletes who gave a remarkable performance in the largest sports for disabled people championship.
Evi, her nickname, proved that the disability on her leg could not stop her from bringing pride for her country in athletics 100 meters T42. The uns.ac.id team had an opportunity to talk with Evi on her journey in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
Passing the Qualification for Tokyo Paralympics 2020
The athlete from Boyolali stated that she never expected to be able to pursue her athletics career to the Paralympics. This event is one of the final objectives of athletes worldwide. “I was very happy because Paralympic is one of the major objectives, athlete’s highest event. (I) never expected and never imagined that I could stand in the largest sports for disabilities championship,” she said.
Great Performance in the Heat and Final Rounds
In the elimination round on Saturday (4/9/2021), Evi recorded 14.83 seconds and finished second, thus, allows her to compete in the final round. Only the best three of each heat could compete in the final round. Although she succumbed to the trio Italian sprinters, Evi created a record as the only athlete from the T42 class to compete in the final round with the same time record, 14.83 seconds, and finished in fourth place.
The gold was brought home by Ambra Sabatini, who broke a world record for 100 meters T63 with 14.11 seconds, the silver medalist, Martina Caironi, finished with 14.46 seconds, and bronze medalist Monica Graziana Contrafatto finished with 14.73 seconds. Evi admitted that she was delighted with the record she made in the Paralympic, but she was not fully satisfied because she could not exceed her own best personal record in Dubai. “In athletics, one second could mean several meters differences,” she said.
Fall in the Final Round
The rain that hit Tokyo from the previous day and the drizzle during the final round made the track slippery for athletes to compete in the National Stadium, Tokyo. Evi said that she felt the slippery track since the Heat Round, and she tried her best not to fall and then reported to her trainer that the track was very slippery. She also tried her best not to fall a few meters before the finish line during the final round. “It will make a bad time record,” she said. Sadly, after the finish, she couldn’t maintain her balance and fell down due to the slippery track.
Combined T42 and T63 Classes
Evi was one of two T42 athletes that passed the qualification for Tokyo Paralympics, where athletes were classified according to their disabilities. The two athletes from the T42 class were Evi and Ana Claudia Maria da Silva from Brazil. Due to the limit in the number of participants, the class is combined with the T63 class for above knee amputee athletes, while the T42 class is for athletes with weakness in one leg above the knee—the higher the number, the lower the disability rate. “Although T42 is actually harder because we do not use assisting device (prosthetic legs),” Evi said.
Moved to T44
Besides the glam and sparkle of her achievement, the athlete from Boyolali also had a share of uncomfortable experiences in her sports career when she received a protest from a classifying player who wanted to move her to the T44 category. Evi was classified as a T42 class runner in Dubai and reconfirmed as a T42 runner in Tunisia. “Thus, it cannot change. But after competing, it was protested. Maybe because they doubt me, how come T42 could enter this level of limit, with this kind of time record,” she said. But before participating in Tokyo, she went through reclassification and stayed in T42.
Misclassification could mean a great hurdle for Evi because T44 was for lighter disabilities, and therefore, Evi will need to work harder and compete with athletes who actually belong in the T44 class. In the Paralympic, Evi was the only T42 runner who entered the final with the other seven T63 runners.
Toughest Rival
The 2019 Para Athletics World Champion winner admitted the ability of an Italian runner who won the gold medal in the Paralympic. She also said that she met with the bronze medalist once but never with the gold and silver medalist.
As a well-measured sport, an athlete’s time record is fully available for trainers and athletes. Evi shared that her initial target was to enter the final round. “After entering the final, if I could, win a medal,” she said.
Hopes
The 20 years old athlete hopes that she can continue competing for the pride of Indonesia at the international level. She also hopes that she could win a medal in the Paris Paralympic that will be held in three years.
Thank you, Evi, for fighting for Indonesia in the Tokyo Paralympic 2020. She had a great struggle, and hopefully, her spirit could motivate more people to achieve something in life. Humas UNS
Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti