The story of Gregoria Mariska Tunjung Masa Makes History at the 2017 World Junior Championships

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Gregoria Mariska performing at the All England 2023. Photo: Reuters/Andrew Boyers

BIRMINGHAM – Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, an Indonesian women’s singles athlete, successfully made history at the 2017 World Junior Championships after winning the title. This achievement was the first for Indonesia for 25 years, and Gregoria became the second women’s singles from Indonesia to win a world junior championship.

However, Gregoria’s journey to becoming a champion was very difficult because she had a fever since the top 16 and had to be given an IV after every match. Even so, his hard work paid off after winning the championship.

Gregoria recently returned to the spotlight because she made it to the quarter-finals of the All England 2023. This achievement made her the first Indonesian women’s singles to qualify for the last eight since 10 years ago. Even though he couldn’t advance to the semifinals, his achievement this time was a sweet result.

Gregoria participated in the World Junior Championships four times, from 2014 to 2017, and the first year she had to retire in the last 64 due to an ankle injury. He just managed to give his best performance at the 2017 World Junior Championships, his last year in the junior category, although he didn’t set any specific targets.

“I’ve been thinking about next year (2017) being the last junior, can I do it or not. The last year I had nothing to lose, as in previous years I felt optimistic but I was afraid it would turn out to be something like that, especially playing in Jogja at home You have to be able to control your own expectations,” said Gregoria.

Even though Gregoria’s journey to make history seems long and winding, she managed to give her best performance at the 2017 World Junior Championships despite facing tough challenges.

(sto)