Tiolina sees gold in Games debut<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Being the youngest member of Indonesia's
\ntraditional boat racing crew for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA)
\nGames does not make Tiolina Ceria feel inferior.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, she is confident she can impress her seniors
\nand coaches by helping her team win the gold in her international
\ndebut.<\/p>\n
\"I am sure that my team can win a gold,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Born on July 25, 1981, in Kuala Kapuas, Central Kalimantan,
\nTiolina has been interested in traditional boat racing since
\nseeing people row their small boats across marshes to travel from
\ncity to city.<\/p>\n
Rowing, she said, was one of the most popular sports in her
\nhometown.<\/p>\n
\"I love sports. I used to row on Kereng Bangkirai River in my
\nhometown. When I was very young, I liked to watch the rowers
\npractice at a local training center in my town.<\/p>\n
\"I wanted to join the training center someday. In 1996 there
\nwas a rower selection at the Palangkaraya training center and I
\nwas selected,\" she said.<\/p>\n
While a member of the training center, she participated in the
\ntwo-person and four-person kayak events.<\/p>\n
Tiolina's grandparents were sailors, but her parents did not
\ntake to the water. Her father Markus N. Bakar prefers table
\ntennis, while her mother Yuniarsih is a badminton fan.<\/p>\n
She said her parents gave her their blessings to compete in
\nthe Games.<\/p>\n
\"I always call them whenever I miss them. I ask for their
\nblessing and they say 'keep on fighting,'\" she said.<\/p>\n
Tiolina, the second of five children, recently graduated from
\nstate senior high school SMU 1 Palangkaraya last May. She said
\nshe would not pursue athletics as her sole career.<\/p>\n
She hopes someday to become a doctor. She said her two
\nbrothers died when they were infants.<\/p>\n
\"My mother was assisted by a midwife when she delivered my
\nbrothers,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The experience has apparently inspired Tiolina to seek a
\ncareer in medicine. In high school, she concentrated her studies
\non biology.<\/p>\n
\"I want to be a doctor. On the other hand, I also want to be a
\nprofessional athlete. I think I can manage both careers.\" (ivy)<\/p>",
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