Champ Thailand wins athletics tournament

Champ Thailand wins athletics tournament

JAKARTA (JP): With 11 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze medals,
Indonesia finished second behind defending champion Thailand at
the 20th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Schools
Track and Field Championship, which ended here yesterday.

Eleven records were set during the two-day meet at Senayan
Madya stadium as Thailand, scooping 18 gold, 14 silver and 12
bronze medals, celebrated its seventh win.

Six of the 11 records were set by Indonesians, four by Thais,
and one by a Malaysian.

Yesterday's Indonesian record setters were triple jumper
Nyoman Rai, who jumped 11.99m, as well as Rumini Sudragni and
Ferry Junaedi, who clocked 10:01 in the girl's 3,000m and 8:42 in
the boy's 3,000m, respectively.

Saturday's record breakers were Tri Asih Handayani, who
renewed her record of 4:30:67 to 4:29:90 in the girl's 1,500m,
Irene Yoseph who ran 12:05 seconds in the girl's 100m dash and
pole vaulter Nunung Jayadi who shifted his own old mark of 4.25m
to 4.55m.

Tri Asih, Rumini, Nunung, Irene and Ferry are all expected to
take part in the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to which
Jakarta will play host next year. Their successes in this
championship will enhance their chance of being included on the
country's SEA Games team next year.

Thailand's record breakers were Nuchanart Nukboon, who won the
girl's 100m hurdles by clocking 14.28; Klomdee Oranuch, who
clocked 24.54 in the girl's 200m dash to beat Irene Yoseph by 21
hundredth of a second; shotputter Sayan Suksamran, who threw
16.02m and javelin thrower Wichit Homtuanlom, who threw 66.30m.

Thailand's team manager Sombat Roongruang said that of the
four record breakers, only Nukboon has qualified for next year's
SEA Games. Roongruang added that sprinter Narin Charoenpon, who
won the boy's 100m dash with a time of 10.72 on Saturday but set
no new record, might have a chance to be included on Thailand's
4x100m national relay team for next year's SEA Games. Roongruang
said junior athletes going to next year's SEA Games have to have
performances which are the same or close to those of their
seniors.

By finishing runner-up, Indonesia finally broke the almost
decade-old jinx of finishing third behind Thailand and Malaysia.
Malaysia head coach K. Rajasuria attributed his team's failure to
seize second place to various home meets that his athletes could
not miss over the last two months. "They are too tired, some have
even fallen ill. Had they not been tired, I'm sure we could have
won two or three more gold medals," Rajasuria said. (arf)