GARUT GOES GOLD: Widiarta Wins Surfing's First Olympic Gold Medal

Twenty-year-old Garut Widiarta from Bali became the first surfer in history to win a gold medal in the sport of surfing at an Olympic event today at Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia. The talented young surfer proudly held up the Indonesian flag as he and silver medalist Raditya Rondi accepted the cheers of the crowd in front of the judging tower.

In an intense 30 minute round of competition in their home break of Kuta Beach, the two cousins fought a pitched battle in the 2 foot low tide surf with Rondi leading for most of the heat, until Widiarta maneuvered into the perfect position to let loose with a couple of amazing aerial displays that had the judges reaching punching some big numbers into their keypads. When the horn blew Widiarta had tallied up a score of 18.50 for his best two waves, leaving Rondi just short with 17.20.

10 surfers from 5 countries, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, the Maldives, and Vietnam competed today in the 1st Asian Beach Games men’s shortboard surfing event, with Widiarta winning the gold over Raditya Rondi and Shigenori Suzuki from Japan getting the bronze.

This is truly a benchmark for surfing, as it is the first time the sport of surfing has ever been included in an Olympic event. In addition to the men’s shortboard event held today, there will also be a women’s shortboard event, a men’s longboard event, an aerial surfing event, and a team event.

About the Asian Beach Games:

The 1st Asian Beach Games started yesterday the 18th of October and will be concluded on the 26th. 45 countries are participating in 17 sporting events taking place on the island of Bali in Indonesia. To find out more log on to www.asianbeachgames.com.

About the Olympic Council of Asia:

The OCA was approved for formation in New Delhi, India during the Asian Games Federation (AGF) Council Meeting held on November 26, 1981, the Council’s aim is to develop in the youth of Asia those moral and physical qualities that come from fair competition in sports and to promote the international respect, friendship and goodwill.

To find out more about the OCA log on to their website at www.ocasia.org

About the Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour

The Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship tour is dedicated to growing the sport of surfing in Indonesia and providing Indonesian surfers with a consistent, legitimate, and respected forum in which they can compete and measure themselves against their peers, a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of becoming a professional surfer and competing against the best surfers in the world. To find out more log on to www.isctour.com