Athletes told to focus on training to reap SEA Games goals

Athletes told to focus on training to reap SEA Games goals

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With a target of six golds in the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA)
Games later this year, the Athletics Association of Indonesia
(PASI) is telling its 50 athletes to do what is required to reach
the goal.

That includes maintaining a disciplined attitude toward their
training and taking a course of pricey vitamin supplements for
peak performance.

"PASI chairman Bob Hasan hopes that Indonesia will win more
than its four golds from the 2003 SEA Games," PASI head of
development affairs Budi Dharma Sidi said last week. "He
expects six golds and we will try to fulfill that."

However, in the current training camps in Jakarta, Pangalengan
of West Java and Salatiga in Central Java, several athletes have
failed to show the desired progress.

"Some aren't disciplined in their training, others don't take
their vitamins," he said. "But we also see that some athletes
have shown progress in their training."

Budi vowed to dismiss athletes who failed to change their
attitude, saying the benefits of sticking to the program were
already clearly seen.

"Look at John Herman Muray, he is already 27 years old, but he
keeps making progress," he said.

John won the 100 meters sprint in two of the three legs of the
Asian Athletics Grand Prix, setting a personal best along the
way.

"I want gold in the SEA Games," the Papuan, who won bronze in
2003 in Hanoi, said. "I have more confidence after winning the
Grand Prix and now take the vitamins to help improve my
performance."

Budi also noted the improvement of Deysie Sumigar, who won the
women's 100 meters at the National Athletics Championships in
late July.

"Deysie is the fastest 100 meter sprinter we have and she
proved that by winning the nationals," he said.

Also doing well are Jauhari Johan in the 10,000 meters and
women's 1,500 meter runner Olivia Sadi, whose nationals' time of
4:19.48 shaved just over two seconds off the eight-year-old mark
of Supriati Sutono.

But Budi was disappointed with the poor progress of 110-meter
hurdler Edi Zakaria, whose best performance was at the Athens
Olympics last year.

Budi hoped the athletes could continue to improve their
performance and peak at the SEA Games in November.

"One more thing that I want to stress is that we continue to
remind athletes to take vitamins, which are good for them. We
spent Rp 2 million per athlete per month for the vitamins, with
the aim of improving their nutrition," he said.

The association also wants to hire a top foreign coach for the
final stretch before the SEA Games in November.

"We are now seeking a coach from Europe, and East Asia like
Japan."

PASI is putting its gold medal hopes on hurdler Edi, men's
pole vaulter Nunung Jayadi, women's marathon runner Feri Marince
Subnafeu, the men's javelin throw, the women's hammer throw and
Ahmad Sakeh in the men's 800 meters.

Budi said athletics competition in the region was relatively
equal at present, with each country boasting particular
specialities.

Athletes from the Philippines, for example, excel at the long
jump and middle distance divisions, while Thai athletes are
strong in the sprints.

Singaporean athletes are outstanding in throw events,
especially after several Chinese athletes migrated to the city-
state, while athletes from Vietnam are improving.

Budi said an invitational event in Singapore in September,
with all the regional hopefuls competing, would provide an
accurate view of Indonesia's medal chances.

"In that event, we will have the big picture of whether our
training is working well or not. We will also see in Singapore
who our tough opponents will be," he said.