President Orders Renovation of IAAF World Champion's House
Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has made a request to Minister of Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono to renovate the house of Lalu Muhammad Zohri, the young Indonesian athlete who won the 100-meter sprint at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, on Wednesday (11/07).
Zohri set Indonesia's under-20 record of 10.18 seconds and became the first Indonesian ever to win the competition.
"Zohri's achievement definitely makes us, Indonesians, incredibly proud ... For what he has achieved, I instructed the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing to renovate Zohri's house in Lombok," the president said in a statement on Friday (13/07).
According to Fazilah, Zohri's sister, the young athlete has been dreaming of repairing the house in his home village in North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The bamboo-walled house has been in dire condition since Zohri inherited it from his late parents Lalu Ahmad Yani and Saerjah.
Zohri also plans to buy a land plot once he is able to, the brother said.
"I never knew about his personal issues. He would never want to trouble his siblings or other family members. He would struggle alone for as long as he was able," Fazilah said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
In a video shared by Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Zohri thanks for the president's support.
"Thank you, Mister President and all Indonesians," he said.
Zohri defeated United States athletes Anthony Schwartz and Eric Harrison, who reached the finishing line with identical times of 10.22 seconds.
Zohri's new record grazes Indonesia's senior-level national record of 10.17 seconds held by Suryo Agung Wibowo.
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