Indonesian swimmers finish third<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia finished in third place at the 25th
\nSoutheast Asian (SEA) Age Group Swimming Championships, which
\ndrew to a close on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
Indonesia collected a total of 16 gold medals, 11 silver and
\n18 bronze, from a total of 94 events. The Indonesian Swimming
\nFederation (PRSI) sent a team of 11 boys and 11 girls.<\/p>\n
Coach Elfira Rosa Nasution said here on Tuesday that the
\nresult was an improvement from last year's performance at the
\nevent when Indonesia finished fourth, winning only eight gold.<\/p>\n
\"We can't say it's a poor result because the swimmers achieved
\ntremendous success. Furthermore, they were expected to have
\nreached their peak during the national championships in May,\" she
\nsaid over the phone.<\/p>\n
\"We must also consider financial hindrances which prevented us
\nfrom sending more swimmers.<\/p>\n
\"The strength within the region was relatively widespread,
\nwithout a specific country dominating the championships. Some
\ncountries were strong in certain disciplines while others had
\nvictories in other disciplines.\"<\/p>\n
Overall champion Singapore, sending some 50 swimmers,
\ncollected 30 gold, 42 silver and 23 bronze. Thailand, represented
\nby only 17 swimmers, were runners-up after collecting 26 gold, 14
\nsilver and 18 bronze.<\/p>\n
Host country Malaysia, fielding some 60 swimmers, only
\nfinished fifth in the overall standings, taking seven gold, 14
\nsilver and 18 bronze.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Muhammad Akbar Nasution broke the championship
\nrecord in the boys' age group 1 (15 to 17-year-olds) 200 meter
\nbreaststroke. He clocked 2:24.45 -- a second faster than the
\nprevious record set by Wuttiorn Siriplabpl of Thailand.<\/p>\n
PRSI used the championships to assess the performance of its
\njuniors prior to the Kuala Lumpur 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA)
\nGames, which will be held from Sept. 8 to Sept. 17.<\/p>\n
\"We will use the championships to improve our preparation for
\nthe SEA Games because the winners are very likely to be included
\nin each country's team,\" Elfira said.<\/p>\n
\"The swimmers still have three months left to improve their
\nperformance. We will focus on improving their power and stamina.\"
\n(nvn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-swimmers-finish-third-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}