At a Glance

• Age: 14  9th grader at SMP Negeri 5 Yogyakarta
• Medals: 5 total  1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze
• Event: Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy 2026, Dehradun, India (August 17–20, 2026)
• National impact: Her 5 medals made up half of Indonesia's 10-medal total at the tournament
  
  

Matsuri Kinasih is a 14-year-old short track speed skater from Yogyakarta who won five medals  one gold, two silver, and two bronze  at the Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy 2026, held in Dehradun, India, from August 17 to 20, 2026. She competed in the Junior C Girls category across the 500m, 777m, 1000m, and mixed relay events, and her results accounted for half of the 10 medals brought home by the entire Indonesian delegation.

Here's the part that makes it interesting: she didn't go to India chasing five medals. She went hoping for one.

Who Is Matsuri Kinasih?

Matsuri only picked up ice skating in 2022, after two years on roller skates starting in 2020. Four years later, she's standing on an international podium listening to a national anthem play for her.

Her mother, Risty, wasn't expecting much going in. Training time on real ice back home is limited, so the family's expectations for the 1000m were modest  just make the final. Matsuri won silver in it instead.

Credit : Facebook SEASportNews

How Did She Prepare for the Tournament?

Before Dehradun, Matsuri spent a week at a training camp in Thailand, skating alongside teams from Thailand and the United States to sharpen her technique. She then flew home to Indonesia for school, before heading to India  where she had just two days on the ice to adjust to local rink conditions ahead of competition.

That's a tight turnaround for five medals in four different events.

What Made the Gold Medal Moment Special?

Her gold came in the 500m  and the timing carried extra weight. Indonesia Raya, the national anthem, played for her one day after Indonesia's 81st Independence Day. Matsuri had wanted to feel exactly this: standing on an international podium, hearing her country's anthem.

"Happy, so, so happy. You could call it moving, but I didn't cry  just really happy."

Life Outside the Rink
Off the ice, Matsuri is just a 9th grader juggling a normal school schedule at SMP Negeri 5 Yogyakarta with training and travel. When competitions pull her out of class, she catches up through independent study or online tutoring  no shortcuts, just extra hours.

Her success also lands at a specific moment for her home province: ice skating in DIY (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta) only entered official coaching under KONI DIY in 2026. Matsuri's results are effectively the sport's opening statement in the region.

What's Next for Matsuri Kinasih?

Once she meets the age requirement, Matsuri is aiming for the Junior World Cup. Long-term, her sights are on the Winter Olympics  a rare ambition for an Indonesian athlete, given the country has no permanent ice rinks built for elite training.