Indonesian sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri looking to get his career back on track

BANGKOK – Lalu Muhammad Zohri is used to things moving quickly. He was only 18 when he stunned everyone by winning gold in the 100m at the July 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Finland.

It was Indonesia’s maiden medal at the competition, and his time of 10.18 seconds was just 0.01sec from matching the national record.

He went even faster at the April 2019 Asian Athletics Championships in Qatar, clocking a national-mark 10.13sec to claim a silver.

A month later, he ran a blistering 10.03sec at the Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, and his career appeared headed in only one direction.

But injuries and the pandemic have halted his progress. No wonder, with the delayed Sept 23-Oct 8 Hangzhou Asian Games just two months away, the 23-year-old is raring to get his career back on track and is already eyeing the next milestone.

“(To go) under 10 seconds,” he said via a translator on the sidelines of a training session at the Suphachalasai National Stadium ahead of the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, which began on Wednesday.

His 10.10sec effort at the Indonesian championships in August 2022 has showed the talent is still present in that 1.72m muscular frame but Zohri knows he will need something special to contend at the Asiad in China.

At the 2018 edition in Jakarta, China’s Su Bingtian won in a Games record of 9.92sec, with Qatar’s Tosin Ogunode and Japan’s Ryota Yamagata settling for silver and bronze respectively in 10sec.

Despite the pressure on him to regain his form as a teenager, Zohri said he was coping fine with the expectations. His body however, is less cooperative these days.

He injured his quadriceps at the Cambodia SEA Games in May – he claimed a bronze in the 200m and won the 4x100m gold – and is still not fully recovered. On Wednesday, he pulled out of the 4x100m relay (his team did not qualify for the final) and there is a question mark about his involvement in the 100m heats on Thursday.

Coming to Thailand was never just about racing for Zohri, said an Indonesian official, but also to get him reacquainted with the environment and demands of a top-level meet.

Zohri, who in 2020 returned to Lombok for six months to train while avoiding the uncertainties of the Covid-19 virus, said: “Before I loved football, but after the change (to running), I love track and field.

“Running is easy to me. Sponsors (have also helped) – my mum and dad have passed away already, so it’s helped my family.”

Growing up in the West Pemenang village, there was a time when he trained barefoot because he could not afford a pair of running shoes. He once had to borrow 400,000 rupiah (S$35) from his sister for a pair of spikes so he could compete.

He left Lombok and his three older siblings and moved to Jakarta in 2017 to train full-time but remains close to his family. He said: “I have been doing this (being a full-time athlete) since 2017 so it’s okay (not seeing them for long periods), I still contact them by phone and video call.”

He competed at the postponed Tokyo Games in 2021 and is eyeing another Olympic appearance, with Paris 2024 among his goals.

To qualify, he must break the 10-second barrier. In other words, Zohri must go faster than he has ever gone before.