Malaysia team practices for Commonwealth Games<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Malaysia will compete in the 19th SEA Games here
\nbut its sights are firmly set on the Commonwealth Games it will
\nhost next year.<\/p>\n
More than 570 Malaysian athletes will stream into the capital
\ncity to stretch their muscles not only for medals but also call-
\nups for their national Commonwealth Games team.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's preparations are already underway for the 16th
\nGames, scheduled from Sept. 11 to Sept. 16 next year in Kuala
\nLumpur.<\/p>\n
The SEA Games will serve as a stepping stone for Malaysia's
\nmedal-winning hopes in the Commonwealth Games because next week's
\nGames will feature 11 of the 16 events to be held in September.<\/p>\n
The sports on both programs are weightlifting, badminton,
\nfield hockey, track and field, shooting, swimming (including
\nsynchronized swimming and diving), squash, bowling, cycling,
\ngymnastics and boxing.<\/p>\n
Malaysia is concentrating on these 11 sports, although it will
\nhave representatives in all 34 events at the SEA Games. It hopes
\nto bring home some 50 gold medals from the biennial event which
\nkicks off on Oct. 11 and finishes on Oct. 19.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian Olympic Council (MOC) had previously set a
\ntarget of 61 golds but then reevaluated the tally. The council
\nsaid the latest target was more reasonable after the country
\nmanaged only 31 golds in the 18th Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.<\/p>\n
Some Malaysian sports figures were quoted by Kompas as saying
\nthat the 61-gold bid was intended to encourage sports bodies and
\nathletes to working harder.<\/p>\n
Malaysia notched up its best medal haul ever -- 67 golds in
\n1989 -- when it hosted the Games in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
The MOC has predicted that most of the laurels would come from
\ntrack and field (12), bowling (12), sepak takraw (2), badminton
\n(1), swimming (4), cycling (2), squash (4), hockey (1),
\ngymnastics (3), bodybuilding (1), women's soccer (1), water
\nskiing (2), snooker (2) and 14 from four martial arts events --
\nkarate (4), taekwondo (4), pencak silat (4 ) and wushu (2).<\/p>\n
Some national sports associations have set even higher targets
\nthan those touted by the MOC.<\/p>\n
Chinese runner<\/p>\n
The Malaysian Amateur Athletics (MAAU) is poised to surpass
\nthe MOC's ceiling by two golds, thanks, in part, to the presence
\nof former Chinese women's middle-distance runner Yuan Yu Fang.<\/p>\n
Yuan, donning Malaysian colors for the first time, will be a
\nreal menace to Indonesia's defense title bid in the 1,500-meter,
\n5,000m and 10,000m races.<\/p>\n
She holds the Malaysian national record of 16:33.80 in the
\n5,000m which she set in the Malaysia Open Championship early this
\nyear. Her time was slightly better than Indonesia's best hope
\nSupriyati.<\/p>\n
Other track and field golds are expected to come from men's
\njavelin thrower Yazid Imran, men's high jumper Lao Kum Kee,
\nveteran men's 110m runner Nur Herman Madjid, M. Ramachandran who
\nwill run in the men's 5,000m and 10,000m events, hammer thrower
\nWang Tee Kue and women's walker Anastasia Karen.<\/p>\n
MOC president Datuk Khalid Yunus predicted that his 30-strong
\ntrack and field team would excel here, due to the help of more
\nthan a dozen foreign coaches, including Russia's Oleg
\nDimitroshenkov (javelin and hammer), China's Wang Lin (road
\nwalk), Bulgarian Pavel Litkhovcentko (middle- and long-distance
\nrun), Canadian Daniel Hilleny (sprint) and Germany's Uwe Freymont
\n(high jump).<\/p>\n
The SEA Games hockey competition will see Malaysia expand its
\ntotal control of the event. There is no doubt that the 1994 world
\nchampion will sweep up the two golds on offer.<\/p>\n
National men's team coach Volker Knapp said he recruited three
\nplayers from German Bundesliga -- Limburg's S. Kuhan, Kerpal
\nSingh and Frankfurt Safo's R. Shankar -- for his 16-strong team
\nfor the Games.<\/p>\n
But Malaysia will not parade its stars in badminton. With
\nOlympic men's singles bronze medalist Rashid Sidek and Olympic
\nmen's doubles silver medalist Yap Kim Hock ruled out due to
\ninjuries, Danish coach Morten Frost Hansen will rely heavily on
\nthe three musketeers Ong Ewe Hock, Yong Hock Kin, and Jason Wong.
\n(08)<\/p>",
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