Anton top seed at Nias surf contest

Anton top seed at Nias surf contest

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

National hopeful Anton Dakhi has been named the top seed at
the Ya'ahowu International Surfing Contest, which will start on
Friday in Nias, North Sumatra.

Governor Rizal Nurdin is scheduled to officially commence the
three-day tournament, which is being staged at Sorake Lagundri.

A total of Rp 60 million in cash prizes will be up for grabs.

"This guy from Nias is the top seed because of his impressive
performance last year when he won a junior international event in
Bali," Clement H. Gultom, an official of the organizing
committee, said here on Tuesday.

Gultom said 15-year-old Anton was in peak form for contending
the championship title at this year's Ya'ahowu surfing event.

He was optimistic that Anton had a good chance at spoiling the
domination of foreign participants by grabbing the top place.

The event will see 25 local surfers, including Somali Buelele
of Nias, who finished in third place in 2000. The local
contenders will also come from Bali.

The event was not held last year because of floods.

Agus Mendrova, the deputy regent of Nias, told The Jakarta
Post that as many as 30 foreign participants had already arrived
and tried the arena.

Participants have come from Japan, New Zealand, Australia,
Brazil, South Africa and the United States.

Agus said that the committee had done its best in its
preparations to make the event a success.