Archers expect clean sweep in SEAG
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia hopes to continue its domination at the SEA Games archery tournament when it hosts the 19th edition of the biennial sports gathering here next year.
Udi Harsono, the archery team manager, said yesterday the association expects its archers to make a clean sweep: two golds in the men's and two in the women's events.
"We've been making clean sweeps since 1987, up to and including the 1993 Games. But we failed last year," he said.
The national squad only managed to bring home two golds, one silver and two bronzes at the last Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
"We're still the strongest in team events, but in individual events, our archers are facing a tough challenge from Thailand," Udi said.
Thailand is not only grooming its archers in China Taipei for the SEA Games, but also for the Asian Games in 1998, which will be staged in Bangkok.
The association is recruiting eight male and seven female archers for its centralized training program, which is scheduled to begin on Dec. 1 in Gandul, South Jakarta. The number of archers will be narrowed down to four men and four women in a selection at the national championship in East Java in July.
The male candidates are Syafrudin Mawi, Hendra Setiawan, Dito Rembrandt, Petrus AB, Wahyu Hidayat, Yulianto, Latif Pramono and Permadi Sandra.
The female archers are Dahliana, Purnama Pandiangan, Dwi Purwanti, Suhartini, Yuliasih, Lusia Elisabeth and Dwi Novita.
Donald Pandiangan and Daniel Lumalesil have been named as coaches and will be assisted by Adi Purnama and Adang AJJ.
Udi said the association has a schedule problem with Hamdiah due to her wedding plans.
Hamdiah said she is going to join the program, but has requested for a leave in the middle of the centralized training program.
"I could not agree, because her technical skill has decreased," Udi said.
According to Udi, Hamdiah, who joined the national squad at the last SEA Games, dropped in her usual level of performance at the last National Games in September.
Another senior archer, Nurfitriyana Lantang, who grabbed the 1988 Olympic silver medal in Seoul, South Korea with Lilies Handayani and Kusumawardhani, has been excluded from the list because she wants to have a baby.
The association plans to send its athletes to open tournaments in the Netherlands and the World Championship in Victoria, Canada, from Aug. 18 to Aug. 23 next year, as a warm-up for the Games.
Udi said the association is facing financial problems for the tryout because the National Sports Council only provides Rp 3 million (US$1,250) per person for a two-week tryout.
"We need approximately Rp 10 million per person for the tryouts in Europe and Canada. We have to find the rest of the cash ourselves," Udi complained. (yan)