Rivan raves about Indonesia’s golden hat trick at Southeast Asian Games

The Indonesian Rocket proves that great things come in threes, as he completed his third consecutive SEA Games gold medal win in Cambodia.

Published 02:45, 09 May 2023

RivanNurmulki

After leading Indonesia to win back-to-back gold medals in Manila in 2019 and Vietnam in 2022, the Indonesian Rocket, Rivan Nurmulki, has demonstrated for the third time in a row that he is the most dominant player with golden successes in the Southeast Asian Games.

The Indonesian superstar produced brilliant performances at Cambodia 2023 to finish fifth in the overall scoring charts. His most worthy performance was the 22-point outburst in the gold medal match to win 3-0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-15) against hosts Cambodia on Monday night, setting a SEA Games gold medal hat trick for Indonesia.

I am happy and grateful because I am part of a team that made volleyball history again for Indonesia in the SEA Games. Rivan Nurmulki

Rivan has been in the podium of the SEA Games’ last five editions. He won bronze on his first attempt in 2015, moved one place up in 2017, and finally topped the podium in 2019, 2022 and 2023.

“This was a long and tedious process for me since I started playing for the national team in 2015. I trained hard to improve in every edition.” Nurmulki narrated.

“I got my first gold in Manila in 2019, which was the highest achievement for me as an Indonesian national team player. That opened doors for me to play in the Japan V.League, where I had the opportunity to play for two seasons. I developed a lot when I played there, and it gave me new experiences that I am now able to share with my Indonesian teammates.”

Rivan recognised the efforts of Cambodia for its consistent performances in the last two editions, winning bronze in Vietnam and earning silver at their home Games – their best ever finish in the tournament.

“Cambodia have improved a lot this year, compared to the previous year. But I also want to commend my team for continuously pushing for excellence. We started with the same group of players since the SEA Games in Manila. That was the starting point where we focused and prepared for the succeeding editions to be able to give our country the best results,” the 27-year-old opposite said.

He thanks his family, friends and supporters for the motivation to chase greatness for his country.

“I want to dedicate this to my family, friends and supporters. Your support and prayers for the team make us grow better as a group and drive us to make Indonesia’s brand of volleyball even better.”

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