Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia with a population of 275 million (almost 60% of the total population of the European Union), is one of the most populous countries in the world. On the basis of this parameter alone, one might think that there would be no shortage of sporting successes.

Nothing could be further from the truth. They only have 8 gold medals, all in badminton. This time, thanks to the IOC's efforts to update and include urban sports as a method of attracting younger people, a sport has been added in which they could achieve results diametrically opposed to those traditionally presented in the Olympic programmes.

The Southeast Asian archipelago is gaining recognition as an unexpected force in speed climbing, breaking records and winning multiple medals at major international events, giving hope for medals outside of badminton.

Climbing, which combines three forms of sport, was included in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games for the first time. At Paris 2024, speed climbing will be a separate event for the first time.

Competitors will climb a standardised15-metre vertical route and the winner will be the one who reaches the top in the shortest time, usually just a few seconds.

"As it gets closer, I don't want to think about anything else," Desak told AFP, one of two Indonesian speed climbers to qualify for Paris so far.

"I'm just focusing on the Olympics," the 23-year-old said after a training session at the national team's facility outside the capital, Jakarta.

"I hope my dream to hear the Indonesia Raya (national anthem) at the Olympics will come true. My dream is to win a gold medal," said the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games gold medallist.

Indonesian climbers have excelled in the speed format because their typically small stature gives them speed and agility. Sheer dedication and teamwork are also behind their success.

"If we keep complaining about our lack of height, we will never be able to compete," national climbing coach Hendra Basir told AFP.

"So we focus on our advantage as short people. We are blessed with agility," he stressed.

Desak, born in Buleleng (one of Bali's nine regencies occupying the north of the island), has been climbing since childhood and now has the chance to fulfil her Olympic dream after winning gold in the women's speed event at the 2023 world championships in Switzerland.

Joining Desak in the quest for gold in the French capital will be 23-year-old Rahmad Adi Mulyono, who won a qualifier against another Indonesian to reach the third Olympic Games to be held in Paris.

"At first I felt a burden, of course, but as time goes by I have a nothing-to-lose attitude," he told.

Both decided to focus on speed climbing rather than the other two climbing disciplines, lead and boulder, that will be featured at Tokyo 2020.

"I am optimistic. What I need to do first is to improve myself, focus and reduce the time (to the top) every time I train," said Rahmad.

Hendra Basir said the athletes had trained for years to ensure that Indonesia, which has generally not excelled in world sport, had a chance to win an Olympic gold medal.

"We have gone through a very long process since 2019, starting with the qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, not to mention the (pandemic) break," said the coach of a discipline that is growing in popularity month by month in Indonesia (surpassed only by football and badminton).

Preparation is not easy due to the underdevelopment of speed climbing and other climbing disciplines, leaving athletes with even greater obstacles to overcome.

Former world record holder Veddriq Leonardo could still qualify for the Games if he performs well at a tournament in Hungary later this month.

"Of course we hope that speed climbing, as a debut sport at the Olympics, can have a surprising success," the chairman of Indonesia's National Olympic Committee, Raja Sapta Oktohari, said. 

"We have a world champion in this sport. I hope Indonesian athletes can achieve a new feat and make history at the Paris 2024 Olympics," he added, referring to Desak.

The competition will not be easy. Veddriq's world record of 4.90 seconds was beaten twice in April by American Samuel Watson, who lowered it to 4.798 seconds.