For athletes from quake-hit Lombok competing at their own country’s Asian Games, the pressure is far greater than the usual quest for gold.
Competitors from the picturesque island have anxiously followed news of deadly earthquakes that killed more than 500 people, hundreds of miles from Indonesia’s host cities Jakarta and Palembang — and hope their performances can bring a few smiles to faces back home.
“I was so worried about my family — it was a little hard to sleep,” said 18-year-old sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri, who hails from the worst-affected northern part of the island.
“They called me to tell me not to worry, to just focus on my race. I tried my best,” he added, after reaching the men’s 100m final, where he finished seventh.
“Now I can’t wait to go to Lombok to see my family.”
