Boxers dropping weight classes for Asiad
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian boxers will be seeking to focus their efforts in the boxing competition at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan (the city formerly known as Pusan), South Korea on the lower weight categories to hopefully increase the boxers' medal prospects, an official has said.
The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) is currently grooming seven pugilists, three of whom will come under extra tight supervision in an attempt to have them drop down one weight class each, where it is believed they would match up better with their respective opponents.
Pertina deputy secretary Didiet Sudijoto said the dieting program would affect Stevie Binalay, a 1998 Asiad gold medalist, Willem Papilaya and Bara Gomies.
"It should increase their medal chances if they compete in the lighter classes," Didiet told reporters here on Friday.
He said that Stevie, Willem and Bara, who currently fight in the 75kg, 71kg, and 67kg categories respectively, would train and diet in order to drop down to the 71kg, 67kg and 63.5kg weight classes respectively.
"It's not an easy task. But we will try it and see if it works. We are hoping that they will make weight before August next year," Didiet said.
The Asian Games will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, and the boxing competition will have 12 gold medals on offer.
The other four hopefuls on the boxing squad are SEA Games gold medalist Bonyx Saweho, as well as newcomers Fernando Samosir, Benny Tahumesal and Stanley Kalisaran.
Didiet did not rule out any replacements on the team, depending on the next qualifying stage in which the athletes would have to get through two main tests administered by the National Sports Council (KONI).
The first test will be held next month at a special pre- training camp where the boxers will join 164 other athletes from various disciplines for an eight-day camp, with the aim of assessing whether the athletes have already reached a 60 percent target of general fitness as is required by KONI.
"If they make it through that assessment, they will go through another one in April. If any of them fail, he will certainly be left off the squad. The message is clear, that we will only send to Busan, those who are absolutely ready to fight," Didiet said, adding that the second assessment would be incorporated with try- outs, but he did not give further details.
The pre-training camp will run from Jan. 7 to Jan. 14 at the Jatiluhur Reservoir in Puwakarta, around 100 kilometers east of Jakarta. The fitness tests will be conducted on the final day while the remaining days will be apportioned for the exercises.
Given the fact that the athletes have only seven days of preparation, which is not considered an ample period ahead of the test, Didiet has ordered the boxers to step up their own training at home.
"It is impossible for the boxers to reach the required physical shape with only seven days of workouts, so we had to instruct them to train on their own and they have already begun that," he said.