Boxers become the nation's greatest pride

Boxers become the nation's greatest pride

By Johannes K. Simbolon

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's boxing team started the SEA Games
weakly to disappoint the public, but ended the competition by
becoming the pride of the country.

The team grabbed six of the 11 contested gold medals, the
largest haul ever achieved since Indonesia started to participate
in the Southeast Asian countries' sporting festival in 1977.

Indonesia had won four gold medals on two previous occasions,
in the 1987 Games in Jakarta and the 1989 Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Its nadir came in the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, from which
the team returned empty-handed.

Thailand, which swept all 11 golds in the 1995 Games, took
four golds, while the Philippines picked up the remaining one.

"This is a historic victory," said Indonesian coach Wiem
Gommies, who was among Indonesia's gold medalists in both 1987
and 1989.

Indonesia had targeted only four golds, believing it
impossible to surpass its 1987 and 1989 achievements.

Thailand came brimming with self-confidence, believing that
its boxers would grab five to six golds despite the absence of
1996 Atlanta Olympics gold and bronze medalists: Somlak Hamsing
and Wychai Kadpho.

Cuban instructor Juli Lee Hechevaria, who along with his
compatriot Isidoro Rothman, has been hired to train Indonesian
boxers for three years, said that Indonesian fighters were always
taken aback when facing Thailand's fighters.

The words rang true in the beginning.

Four of the six Indonesian boxers fielded on the first
semifinals day -- featherweight (57 kg) Rico Maspaitella, light
welterweight (63.5 kg) Meckson Barataman, light middleweight (71
kg) Aswin Cabui, and light heavyweight (81 kg) Syarif Hidayat --
faced Thai boxers and lost.

The loss disappointed the 4,000 crowd who packed the Soemantri
Brodjonegoro sports hall, South Jakarta.

Boxing observer Syamsul Anwar Harahap blamed the loss on the
Cuban trainers. "Where are the fruits of the training given by
the Cuban fighters," he angrily asked.

But, the disappointment turned into joy the following day as
Indonesian boxers dominated the second day of semifinals,
defeating three Thai boxers.

Indonesia went into the finals day with renewed self-
confidence and took six of the seven gold medals it contested.
The only loser was pinweight (45 kg) Rusli, who was outpointed by
Thailand's left-handed boxer Songsak Kantao.

The six victorious boxers were light flyweight (48 kg) Lapaene
Massara who beat Malaysia's Sapok Biki; flyweight (51 kg)
Hermensen Ballo who outpointed Thailand's Paramuansak Phosuwan;
bantamweight (54 kg) Dufri Mashihor who defeated Malaysia's Adnan
Yusoh; lightweight (60 kg) Wilpare Jamhur who outpointed Elmer
Pamisa of the Philippines; welterweight (67 kg) Bara Gomies who
defeated Jessie Flores of the Philippines, and middleweight (75
kg) Albert Papilaya who beat Thailand's Bancha Morisorn.

Hechevaria said Indonesian boxers could gain confidence from
the fact that they were able to beat Thai fighters after relying
on their instructors.

"They believed in their instructors, followed their words. In
doing so, they gradually came to believe they could defeat Thai
boxers," Hechevaria told The Jakarta Post.