Under the bright Central Javanese sun, five Indonesian archers who have lost an arm or a leg train with determination, draw their bows and close one eye to aim.

This is their routine, their daily effort, something these archers have been doing for months in their quest to raise the flag of their country. The upcoming event will be historic for them and for the Asian nation.

While they are expected to win medals, their participation in the Paris Paralympics is already a historic achievement. What follows, their legacy in Indonesian sport, could be even more significant.

"It's history. Just amazing," says an emotional Ken Swagumilang, who lost a leg to bone cancer and will now compete in the men's compound bow category.

This group of men and women, competing in both the standing and wheelchair categories, aim to write their own story with the support of their families and the government.

They will compete in the recurve and compound archery events, an unprecedented achievement for Indonesia. "It's not just one or two athletes, it's five, imagine that. It's the first time and five athletes will compete," Swagumilang points out.

Swagumilang, who won bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games, sees a Paralympic semi-final as an achievable goal, although he doesn't stop dreaming of something bigger. "Who doesn't want to win a gold medal?" he wonders.

After years of hard work, these archers have strengthened their bodies to draw bows and shoot arrows with great precision. Their confidence has grown after winning two gold medals at the Para Archery World Ranking Event in the Czech Republic in June and two more bronze medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

Among them is Kholidin, one of the gold medallists in June, who faced a unique challenge. After losing his right arm in a fall from a coconut tree in 2017, Kholidin learned to draw the bow with his teeth. "I tried using my front teeth, but I couldn't eat. It was very painful for three days. Then I tried using my side teeth until they started bleeding," he said.

Now Kholidin can comfortably pull a 40-pound bowstring with his molars, a weight equivalent to about 18 litres of water. His determination is clear: "My fellow Para archers and I... we want to show that we can do better and be successful," he said.

The support of the Indonesian government has been crucial to their development. "They support us more and make it more fun for us to participate in tournaments abroad. We've been to a lot of trials. Thailand, Dubai, Australia, China," said the 46-year-old archer.

Although the Indonesian National Paralympic Committee has not set any medal targets for the Paris Games, their archers have clear ambitions. "My goal is a gold medal," said Kholidin.

With the Games just around the corner, some of the Indonesian archers have travelled to Europe early to adapt to the climate, knowing that the cooler temperatures will be a challenge compared to the tropical heat they are used to.

"In Indonesia we are used to training in 30 degrees Celsius, maybe 27 in the morning. And in the afternoon, around 12 or 1 o'clock, it's probably 34, 35 degrees," Ken explained.

The weather forecast for Paris is much lower in terms of highs and lows (between 27 and 16 degrees Celsius) and especially rain, which is not as common as in South East Asia, so it is important for the athletes to adapt.

Teodora Audi Atudia, another archer, lost sensation in the lower half of her body after a car accident damaged the nerves in her spine. What started as strength training for her arms has now led her to compete in the world's biggest event for disabled athletes.

Audi, who will be competing in the women's combined wheelchair category, shared her message of perseverance: "I just want to say to the people out there who haven't fought yet, there is something better ahead... So let's fight!"