He convinced his sister to lend him Rp 400,000 (21 Euros) so he could buy a pair of spikes for his meets, although this partly came from his allowance.

[5] Zohri competed for Indonesia at the 2017 ASEAN School Games, participating in the men's 200 m and winning the silver medal with a time of 21.74.

In semifinal 1, he placed second with a slightly better time at 10.24, behind World Youth 100m Record Holder and gold medal favorite Anthony Schwartz.

[15] Zohri was labeled as a national hero for his deeds; Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered two cabinet ministers to arrange for his house to be renovated.

[18] Following the Asian Games, Zohri participated in the inaugural event of the Malaysia Open Grand Prix, timing 10.20 seconds in the 100m race and winning gold.