Tue, 01 Aug 2000

Anton and Ismu to show up at Indocement Cup tournament

JAKARTA (JP): Men's table tennis players Anton Suseno of NHI club and Ismu Harinto of Gani Artha club will compete at the fourth Indocement Cup table tennis open tournament from Aug. 3 to Aug. 6.

Chief of the organizing committee Ridwan Subagio confirmed in a media briefing on Monday that Anton and Ismu, who are being groomed for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, would represent their clubs in the tournament.

Anton was the only Southeast Asian player to qualify for the Olympic men's singles after he finished 15th in the Asian Championships in Hong Kong in March, which also served as an Olympic qualifying tournament.

Anton and his partner, Ismu, finished eighth in the men's double, while China Taipei and Vietnam finished in sixth and seventh place.

The presence of Anton and Ismu will increase the open's prestige and the competitiveness of its participants.

Men's table tennis player David Jacob from Tiga Roda Indocement club, who was the champion of the national table tennis championships in February, said his chances at the event were just as good as those of the athletes being trained for the Olympics.

"I have a 50-50 chance with the other players in the singles. It's hard to be the champion because there will be Anton, Ismu and other top players competing in this event," he said.

Besides Jacob, host Tiga Roda Indocement will also field Zainuddin and Gatot in the men's doubles. The three players won a bronze for Jakarta in the 2000 National Games (PON) in East Java in June.

The tournament features men's and women's team events, men's and women's individual and doubles events and a men's veteran event for those over 45-years old. A total of Rp 51.7 million (US$5,740) of prize money is being offered at the tournament, which is being held at Gedung Olahraga II in Pertamina complex in Simpruk, South Jakarta.

At least 50 clubs, including top clubs like Surya of Kediri, NHI, Gani Artha, Pupuk Kaltim, UMS '80 and Palma Citra, have registered for the event. (ivy)