Champion Juana may be kept out of SEAG

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Taekwondo Association is still in doubt about fielding team backbone Juana Wangsa Putri in the upcoming 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei Darussalam next month.

Association chairman Suharto told reporters on Thursday that Juana's name was not on the list submitted to the Games organizers last week, but said he would approach the National Sports Council (KONI) to ask if Juana can compete in the event. The deadline for athlete name submissions was on July 10.

"However, Juana is focussing on competing in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. If she competes in the SEA Games, we must be sure she won't get hurt because until now she's the only taekwon doin qualified for the Olympics," said Suharto after welcoming Juana at the Soekarno-Hatta international airport.

"If I have to compete in the SEA Games I must be prepared," Juana said, adding her toughest rivals would come from Thailand and Vietnam.

Indonesia grabbed six of 16 gold medals on offer in tae kwon do events at the 1997 Games here. This year, the association is keeping a low profile and only hopes for four of 16 golds at stake.

Juana, competing in the women's flyweight Olympic division, qualified for the Olympics after she reached the semifinals of the pre-Olympics qualifying round in Croatia from July 8 to July 11.

She beat Tshering Choki of Bhutan in the first round, defeated Laurence Rase of Belgium in the second round and won over Noa Shmida of Israel in the quarterfinals.

Juana lost to American Kay Poe in the semis with a right leg injury from the quarterfinals match. Poe won the tournament after beating Dondu Guveno of Turkey in the final. Another qualifier is Huan Mai Thi Nguyen of Vietnam.

"Kay's speed was very fast and I barely moved my injured leg. I was unable to kick during the match," she said.

Coach Oh Il-nam said Juana was in doubt before fighting Poe.

"But I told her to learn something from the match because she will meet her at the Olympics anyway. I hope in the remaining one-year period, Juana can improve her weaknesses," he said.

Juana, Dominggus Wasanono Boro (men's fider Olympic) and Veronica Widyarini (women's fider Olympic) competed in the qualifying round. Both Dominggus and Veronica crashed in the first rounds. While Satrio Rahardani (men's fly Olympic) failed to compete after suffering chicken pox.

"Dominggus, who usually competes in the bantamweight, had to gain weight in a very short time due to the limited division for the Olympics qualification. It made him lose his energy. While Veronica lacks experience. Her only international tournament was the 1997 SEA Games," Oh said.

According to Olympics rules, tae kwon do features only eight divisions: men's and women's fly Olympic, men's and women's fider Olympic, men's and women's welter Olympic and men's and women's heavy Olympic.(yan)