RI athletes hailed for winning medals at Sydney Olympics<\/p>\n
SYDNEY (JP): The Indonesian team can hold its head high
\ndespite missing an opportunity to win its second gold at the
\nOlympic Games here, chef de mission Arie Sudewo said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Arie maintained that he and everyone else in the country
\ninvolved in sports was delighted with the one gold, two silvers
\nand three bronzes Indonesian athletes had won.<\/p>\n
\"The mission is accomplished as the athletes kept the
\ncountry's gold-medal winning record intact, while at the same
\ntime grabbing chances to win medals in sports other than
\nbadminton,\" Arie said after attending a lunch at the Indonesian
\nConsulate General in Rose Bay.<\/p>\n
Arie was referring to the female weightlifting trio of Raesma
\nLisa Rumbewas, Sri Indriyani and Winarni, who snatched a silver
\nand two bronzes for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian athletes competing in the Games also were
\npresent at the gathering.<\/p>\n
\"This is the best our athletes could do. I'm proud of them
\nbecause of it. We must thank God for the results,\" Arie said.<\/p>\n
The pair of Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan emulated Atlanta
\nGames gold medalists Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky in winning
\nthe badminton men's doubles, with a 15-0, 9-15, 15-7 defeat of
\nSouth Korean rivals Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung.<\/p>\n
Hendrawan carried the nation's hopes of lifting a second gold
\non Saturday, but fell short in his encounter with the inspired Ji
\nXinpeng of China, who won 15-4, 15-13 for his country's fourth
\ngold in badminton.<\/p>\n
Ji had broken Indonesia's heart earlier by beating top-seed
\nTaufik Hidayat in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Indonesia won another silver, also from badminton, through the
\nmixed doubles pair of Tri Kusharjanto and Minarti Timur, who lost
\n15-1, 13-15, 11-15 to China's Zhang Jun and Gao Ling in the
\nfinal.<\/p>\n
Lisa, who competed in the 48 kilogram division in
\nweightlifting, won an unexpected silver after champion Izabela
\nDragneva of Bulgaria was stripped of her gold medal for the use
\nof the banned diuretic furosemide.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's slim hopes of winning more medals lay with Juana
\nWangsa Putri, who competes in the women's taekwondo 49 kilogram
\ndivision, women's diver Eka Purnama Indah, men's diver Muhammad
\nNasrullah and the men's 4x100m relay run.<\/p>\n
\"I hope the remaining athletes will be able to reach their
\nbest forms in the competition,\" said Arie, who is also vice
\nchairman of the National Sports Council (KONI).<\/p>\n
Arie said besides badminton and weightlifting, KONI would
\nfocus its attention on archery and boxing as two potential sports
\nwhere Indonesia could win medals in the next Olympics.<\/p>\n
Apology<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Hendrawan and coach Agus Dwi Santoso apologized to
\nthe Indonesians present at the lunch for failing to win the men's
\nsingles gold that has eluded Indonesia since Alan Budikusuma took
\nit in 1992.<\/p>\n
\"I'm really sorry for spoiling the opportunity. I should have
\nbeen able to win,\" said the 28-year-old Hendrawan.<\/p>\n
Agus attributed Hendrawan's defeat to his failure to cope with
\nJi's offensive lobs and sharp smashes.<\/p>\n
\"But the most important thing was that he couldn't control his
\nambition to win the gold. He already had it in his mind that he
\nwould win it,\" Agus said.<\/p>\n
Prior to the Olympics, Hendrawan said being overly eager to
\nwin the gold could backfire on him.<\/p>\n
Separately, women's diver Shenny Ratna Amelia, who finished
\nlast among the 40 athletes in her event, said she could not cope
\nwith the immense pressure of competing in the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\"I had 10 days to wait for D-day and for me it was too long.
\nUsually I only need three to five days to compete. I lost my
\nmotivation a little bit. Besides, there were 40 divers on the
\nlist and I was number 38,\" said the 15-year-old Shenny.<\/p>\n
Her coach Harly Ramayani said Shenny was extremely nervous
\nahead of the competition. \"She just sort of blacked out. She
\ncouldn't jump the way she used to. It's my fault anyway that I
\ncouldn't get her mentally prepared for such a big event.\" (yan)<\/p>",
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