Aussies dominate Jakarta track and field meet

Aussies dominate Jakarta track and field meet

JAKARTA (JP): Australia added seven gold medals, bringing its
tally to 11, after the second day of the Indonesia Open track and
field championships at Senayan Madya stadium yesterday.

The golds were won by Michael Hane in the men's 800m, Craig
Jeffrey in the men's 400m hurdles, Craig Furber in the men's long
jump, Stephen Dwight in the men's discus, Catriona Larritt in the
women's 400m hurdles, Jacon Hooker in the men's 400m and Alice
Barrett who triumphed in the women's 400m.

The four previous golds came in the men's hammer throw and
pole vault, and the women's 800m and discus.

The fact that the Australians are ruling the roost, however,
comes as little surprise to committee chairman Gurmilang
Kartasasmita who predicted that Australia's domination was
inevitable and that Indonesia would have to be satisfied with a
marginal performance.

Gurmilang said that other than the 4X100m relay team,
Indonesia fielded no top athletes in the event because they were
being groomed for the fifth Asian Athletic Junior championships
slated for the same stadium starting on Sept. 17.

However, despite the generally poor showing of the home
athletes on the first day, yesterday saw Alex Resmol of East Java
break the national record in the men's 800m by clocking 1.50.07,
44 hundredths of a second better than the old mark set by D.
Lutrun of Irian Jaya in 1986.

East Javanese women's runner Ester Sumah who strenuously
managed to take the bronze in the 800m race on the opening day,
again showed that although she failed to win the 400m, she did
manage to snatch the silver.

The diminutive Ester ran 56.65, a few steps behind the 55:88
set by eventual gold medalist Alice Barrett of Australia who is
much taller than her. However, Ester left her other countrywomen
far behind. Third place finisher Marieke Werfete of Irian Jaya
clocked 59.16.

Yesterday saw Singapore and Sri Lanka join the ranks of the
gold-medal winners. Sprinter Muhammad Hosni, winner of the
Singapore Open, bolted off the blocks to win the century dash in
10.48.

Sri Lanka's beautiful sprinter, Susanthika Jayasinghe, took
the gold medal, ahead of Australian Anne Deller and Kelly
Perkins. National record holder Rabaiya of South Sulawesi
tottered in fourth place with a slow 12.14.

Today, the meet's final day, offers 19 gold medals, including
the most strenuous event - the decathlon - which is made up of
the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.

Today will also see the men's national team in the first 4x100
relay heat and its Singaporean counterpart in the second. (arf)

Medals tally

G S B
Australia 11 5 1
Central Java 2 2 4
West Java 1 4 2
East Java 1 2 2
Irian Jaya 1 1 4
Sri Lanka 1 1 2
South Sulawesi 1 - 1
E. Nusa Tenggara 1 - -
West Kalimantan 1 - -
Singapore 1 - -
E. Timor - 2 -