104-member rowing team selected for Games

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Rowing Association named yesterday the team for the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games here in October.

The 104-member rowing team is aiming to win 25 gold medals in the 31 events at the Games.

The team comprises 20 male rowers, 12 female rowers, 17 male canoeists, six female canoeists, 27 male traditional boat racers and 22 female traditional boat racers.

The association's secretary general, Budiman Setiawan, said the association would probably reduce the number rowers before the Games.

The team will leave for South Korea to compete in the Seventh Asian Rowing Championship in Sokcho from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8. This is their last trial before the SEA Games.

Indonesia will also send its leading male rower, Lasmin, to the Asian games in 1998 and the 2000 pre-Olympic Games.

The 20 male rowers include Lasmin, Jamaludin, Suparto, M. Anwar, Juli Wahyudin, Agus Budiaji, Sukering and Karyanto.

The female rowers include Hatimin, Weni Riana, Engelina Ohelo, Heni Pujiani and Rini Ristiana.

Anisi, Sayidin, Laode Hadi and Abdul Karim are among the male canoeists, while the women's canoeing team includes Hatimin, Marry Monim and Suhartati.

These rowers are among 1,017 athletes from various sports being groomed in centralized training programs with 164 local coaches and 29 foreign coaches.

The rowers have been under centralized training since November at West Java's Jatiluhur dam, the venue for water sports.

National coach Soetono Goenadi has said the rowers need more canoes, motorboats and health equipment.

Singapore is expected to be Indonesia's strongest rival at the SEA Games.

Singapore is also confident it can win most of the rowing gold medals and its athletes are training at Jatiluhur dam with a view to its best ever SEA Games performances. (03)