Lalu Muhammad Zohri of Indonesia celebrates his victory after crosses the finish line to win the Men's 100 meters competition at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland on July 11, 2018. Lehtikuva/Kalle Parkkinen via REUTERS

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) rewarded the champion of IAAF U-20 100-meter sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri with a house renovation.

“For what Zohri has achieved, I have ordered the PUPR Minister renovate Zohri’s house in Lombok,” said President Jokowi on Thursday, July 12. “I am sure I am not the only one that is proud of him, but all of the Indonesian citizens are too,” he continued.

What most people were not aware of is that Lalu Muhammad Zohri comes from a family that is financially poor.

Read: IAAF World U20 Championships; Lalu Muhammad Zohri Wins 100m Finals

President Jokowi argues that Zohri’s achievement, together with the achievement of other athletes, will essentially be an important asset for Indonesia to be successful in the upcoming Asian Games 2018 event.

The 18-year-old Zohri grabbed media attention after he defeated United States athletes Anthony Schwartz and Eric Harrison, South African Thembo Monareng, and British Dominic Ashwell in the 100-meter sprint race held in Tampere, Finland.

Lalu Muhammad Zohri managed to finish the race with a magnificent 10.18 seconds. He also broke his own 100-meter national record of 10.25 seconds and is close to breaking the record for the senior 100-meter sprint of 10.17 seconds.

Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani