🧗Meet Desak Made, Indonesia's speed climbing sensation
From breaking worlds records to winning back-to-back World Cups, here's why the Balinese climber is one of Asia's brightest sporting stars.
As football continues to dominate headlines and social media feeds around the world, the spotlight on sports has never been brighter. Yet beyond the roar of packed stadiums and the excitement of the FIFA World Cup, another Indonesian athlete has been quietly making history on the international stage.
Her name is Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi – the Balinese athlete and a sport climber whose speed, determinations, and remarkable achievements have earned her a place among the world’s best making Indonesia proud on the international climbing stage.
🚀 The Main Takeaway
Think sport climbing is dominated by men? Think again. It’s time to meet Desak Made. The Indonesian speed climber has been quietly making history on the international stage. Alongside Kadek Adi Asih, she once set both the women’s speed relay world record and the Asian record at the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Sanya with a time of 13.174 seconds.
👀 Why It's on Our Radar
Fresh off winning gold at the 2026 IFSC World Cup in Kraków, Desak proved her success was far from a one-hit wonder. The victory also propelled her to World No. 10 in the women’s speed climbing rankings, making her the only Southeast Asian athlete to break into the top 10.
She didn’t stop there. Most recently, Desak claimed another gold medal at the IFSC World Cup in Chamonix, France, blazing to the finish in just 6.22 seconds and further cementing her status among the world’s elite speed climbers.
On the men’s side, fellow Indonesian climber Veddriq Leonardo also stole the spotlight with a remarkable comeback, clocking a blistering 4.89 seconds to secure the title.
🌍 More Than Medals
From Bali to the World stage, from discovering climbing in elementary school to becoming Indonesia’s first world champion in sport climbing. Desak’s journey is one of the passion, perseverance, and relentless hard work.
Desak Made isn’t just collecting trophies—she's helping redefine what women can achieve in extreme sports while inspiring young Indonesians to dream beyond limits.
In 2018, she finished fourth at the Asian Youth Championships in Chongqing, China, signaling her potential as one of Indonesia’s brightest climbing prospects.
Her breakthrough came in 2023, when she won the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland. The historic victory made Desak the first Indonesian athlete to claim a world title since the biennial championships were first held in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1991.
Since then, her medal collection has continued to grow. Among her career highlights are:
🥇 Gold Medal – Women’s Speed, National Sports Week (PON) Papua 2021
🥈 Silver Medal – Women’s Speed, National Sports Week (PON) Aceh–North Sumatra 2024
🥈 Silver Medal – Women’s Speed, Asian Climbing Championships, Seoul, South Korea (2022)
🥇 Gold Medal – Women’s Speed, Asian Climbing Championships, Meishan, China (2026)
🥇 Gold Medal – Women’s Speed Relay, Asian Beach Games, Sanya, China (2026)
🥈 Silver Medal – Women’s Speed Relay, Asian Games, Hangzhou, China (2022)
🥇 Gold Medal – Women’s Speed, Asian Games, Hangzhou, China (2022)
🥇 Gold Medal – IFSC Climbing World Cup, Kraków, Poland (2025)
🥇 Gold Medal – Women’s Speed Single 4, World Games, Chengdu, China (2025)
❤️ Beyond the Headlines
Desak Made’s story goes far beyond medals and world records. Behind her lightning-fast performances is an athlete admired for her humility, unwavering determination, and ability to stay composed under pressure.
Her journey into sport climbing began unexpectedly. When she was in the second grade, her aunt—also a climber—invited her to try the sport at Singaraja City Park in Buleleng, Bali. What started as a simple introduction quickly grew into a lifelong passion and eventually a career that would take her to the top of the world.
Growing up, Desak looked up to Indonesian climbing legend Aries Susanti Rahayu, whose achievements inspired her to pursue the sport with the same dedication and ambition. Today, Desak has become an inspiration in her own right. As women’s sport climbing continues to gain global recognition, she is encouraging a new generation of athletes—especially young girls—to dream big, break barriers, and believe that they, too, can compete on the world’s biggest stages. 🌟
With every record she breaks and every medal she earns, Desak Made is inspiring the next generation of Indonesian athletes to dream bigger and climb higher.
❤️ Know another Southeast Asian athlete who deserves more global recognition? Tell us in the comments and let's celebrate their achievements together. 🌏🏅
(VIL/VBD)