Year 6

My Experience on PON XX 2021

PON or Pekan Olahraga Nasional is held every four years. This time it was held in Papua; in 2016, it was held in West Java. The sport I competed in was Pentathlon. Originally, Pentathlon had five sports: swimming, riding, fencing, shooting and running, but the one I competed in was the triathle and Laser-run. Triathle consist of three sports, which are shooting, swimming, and running. In Laser-run, we shoot and run 800 meters. My teammate and I tried to do the simulation multiple times in Bandung, West Java, but the weather in Papua was way hotter. Because of the weather difference, it took a while for me to adjust.

I went to Papua on 5 October 2021, and I was very nervous because I was scared that I wasn’t prepared enough. I was excited, nervous, scared, happy, and more; it was mixed feelings. Many of the athletes I competed with were experienced athletes who had trained longer than me. I arrived three days before the competition and was able to test out the venue. My team and I did the simulation once again; it was hotter than we expected. We would sweat when we walked outside for more than 10 minutes, so shooting, swimming, and running were challenging. Even though we arrived a couple of days earlier, my body still hadn't adjusted well to the weather, so I was sick one day before the competition, but thankfully I got better. Usually, we would train together with other athletes one day before the competition; it often makes me nervous seeing others train.

In one day, there would be three events; the first day was triathle. The first event was the Girls individual triathle; I was supposed to do that event, but because I wasn’t feeling well, my teammate did the event for me, and I did the mixed relay. The next one after the girl's individual triathle was the boy's individual triathle. Watching my teammate do the competition was fun, especially supporting them. The Girl's and Boy's individual triathle was held in the morning. Meanwhile, the mixed-relay triathle (the one I participated in) was in the afternoon. Because I wasn’t feeling the best, I had trouble breathing when I ran because of the heat.

Everyone was shouting and supporting their team members, and once the race ended, we would joke around together. We are enemies when doing the race, but we would take selfies, follow each other on social media, and even make jokes when it was over. I think it’s essential to have fun after the competition because it lightens up your mood.

The next day was the Laser-run. Just like the day before, I competed in the afternoon(relay). The second session of the competition started around 15.00 local time and ended quite sometime after that. I went running first before my teammate Bintang continued. I ran shooting for 50 seconds, or less, then ran 800 meters and repeated it twice. After the second time, I ran to the finish line and high fived my teammate. He also did the same portion, shooting for 50 seconds or less, then ran 800meters. After it ended, it was time to give the medal to the winners. The Mixed Laser-run was the last event, so the event was finished after that.

Two days after the event finished, we went home. It was fun and a memorable experience for me. I think it will be something I remember for the rest of my life. Thanks to the competition I made many new friends from other provinces. I also learned a lot of new things. I hope I can do something similar like this in the future.