Cyclists help Indonesia move into second place<\/p>\n
By Novan Iman Santosa<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's cycling team led the nation's charge
\nup the leader board on the third day of the Southeast Asian (SEA)
\nGames here on Monday, which saw host Malaysia surge further ahead
\nat the top of medals table.<\/p>\n
It was a glorious night for Indonesian cyclists, who
\ncelebrated a number of victories that saw their team move into
\nsecond place behind Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The hosts have amassed 30 golds, 15 silvers and 18 bronzes,
\nwith Indonesia trailing in distant second with 15 golds, 13
\nsilvers and 17 bronzes.<\/p>\n
Nurhayati led an Indonesian one-two finish in the women's 3km
\npursuit at the Kuala Lumpur velodrome for her second gold in as
\nmany days. The other two gold medalists were Suwandra and Samai.<\/p>\n
Veteran Nurhayati clocked 4 minutes 23.461 seconds to beat
\nyounger sister Nuraini, who had to be content with second place
\nin 4:27.295. The Indonesian duo relegated Malaysian Noor Azlan
\nAlias to third with a time of 4:14.498.<\/p>\n
In the 4km individual pursuit held later in the evening,
\nSuwandra clocked the best time of 4:50.371, shattering the
\nprevious games record of 4:53.13 he set at the 1997 Games.<\/p>\n
Suwandra defeated Robert Lee of Malaysia, who struggled with a
\ntime of 4:53.511.<\/p>\n
Panupong Maneepong of Thailand won his duel for third place
\nover Victor Espiritu of the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Samai shared the limelight with a 2-0 win over Josuah Ng of
\nMalaysia in the men's sprint category.<\/p>\n
Another veteran contributed to Indonesia's gold medal tally,
\nwith Jonathan Sianturi winning the all-round competition after
\ncollecting 53.300 points in the gymnastics event at the Bukit
\nJalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
Jonathan upset Sattra Suwansa of Thailand, who finished second
\nwith 53.050 points, followed by Loke Yik Siang of Malaysia with
\n52.925 points.<\/p>\n
Richard Sam Bera joined the list of Indonesia's victorious
\nveterans, winning the men's 100m freestyle for the country's
\nfirst medal in swimming, but only after conquering a strong
\nchallenge expected from Malaysian competitor Allen Ong throughout
\nthe race.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian trailed the Malaysian by a whisker at the turn
\nbefore pulling away to touch the wall in 51.03 seconds, which
\nequaled his Asian Games' best time.<\/p>\n
Allen followed close behind in 51.31 seconds, with Mark Chay
\nJung of Singapore placing third in 51.76 seconds.<\/p>\n
It was a sweet farewell for Richard, who plans to retire from
\ncompetition after this SEA Games meet.<\/p>\n
M. Akbar Nasution finished in third place for a bronze in the
\nmen's 100m breaststroke behind Elvin Chia of Malaysia and Tran
\nXuan Hien of Vietnam.<\/p>\n
After Derry Darmansyah's victory on Sunday, it was Emerald
\nMargareth who took the honor for Indonesia in the tae kwon do
\narena. Emerald held off Sally Solis of the Philippines in the
\nfinal clash of the women's middleweight category.<\/p>\n
The bronze went to Ho Thi Thanh On of Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The team had the chance to win another two golds, but Rosandi
\nand Onyas Nurmala failed to overcome their respective opponents,
\nPhan Tan Dat of Vietnam in the men's middleweight and Veronica
\nDomingo of the Philippines in the women's lightweight event.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Inosensius Iku Laka and Bayu Firmansyah both
\ncontributed bronze medals in their classes.<\/p>\n
After an opening day drought, Indonesian karatekas finally
\ntook two gold medals on Monday.<\/p>\n
M. Hasan Basri defied what was otherwise a Malaysian blitz on
\nthe day by defeating Kong Tai Moon in the 65kg category, while
\nIsfan Tanjung crafted his own piece of glory at the expense of
\nLim Yoke Wai, also from Malaysia, in the men's individual 60kg.<\/p>\n
The fencing team joined the Indonesian gold medal list through
\nChristina Marthina Timisela, who beat Lenita Garcia Reyes of the
\nPhilippines in the women's epee. Singaporean Teo Ah Heok and Thai
\nWoranud Boonmahanak came away with the bronzes.<\/p>\n
Christina's male compatriot Edi Sucipto fell short of victory,
\nlosing to Nontapat Panchan of Thailand in the men's epee.<\/p>\n
The equestrian team could only manage a bronze in the team
\ndressage competition, finishing behind Malaysia and Thailand.<\/p>\n
The wushu team appeared to finish on a low note on Monday,
\nending the day with a bronze through Sandry Liong in the men's
\nnandao and nanguan.<\/p>",
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