China, Australia prevail in archery warm-up meet
China, Australia prevail in archery warm-up meet
JAKARTA (JP): Foreign archers were not the winners but they
taught the Indonesians a dear lesson as they warmed up for the
38th World Championships yesterday.
Both China and Australia shared the limelight, eclipsing the
Indonesian archers, who were trying to find their form before the
Aug. 1-Aug. 6 world championships here.
The national squad is undergoing its final proving ground in
the June 13-June 18 national championships. China and Australia
entered the week-long tournament to get used to the venue for the
world championships and not as competitors.
China lived up to its billing as one of the world's strongest
archery contenders when its athletes finished first in all but
one event.
He Ying produced a superb comeback to clinch the top spot in
the women's individual event with a total score of 1,324, thanks
to her perfect shots in the 50m and 30m. She edged her fellow
triumphant Asian Games team members, Wang Xiaozhu and Lin Sang,
who scored 1,317 and 1,305 respectively.
Dahliana, Rusena Gelanteh and Hamdiah, who will form the
backbone for the national team in August, salvaged Indonesia's
pride as they finished fourth, fifth and seventh, despite their
sub-par performances.
They failed to better the marks they set during the training
session, with Dahliana managing only 1,266, Rusena 1,260 and
Hamdiah 1,255. They scored an average of 1,300 during the
training stint for the world championships last month.
The Chinese women's trio amassed a total of 3,946 to finish
267 points better than overnight runner-up Australia. Lampung,
spearheaded by Purnama Pandiangan, combined a score of 3,551 for
the third place. The result secured Lampung the gold medal in the
national championships.
China, however, failed to stop Australian Jackson Fear from
taking the men's individual laurels. Fearless Fear, who set the
pace in Wednesday's competitions, garnered 1,298 points, just
five points away from runner-up Li Xian Wu of China. Another
Chinese Fu Sheng Yun played third with 1,289.
National ace Hendra Setijawan, who sprang a surprise win with
his best mark in the 50m on Wednesday, led a pack of Indonesian
stragglers with 1,274.
Hendra also spurred East Java to dominate the team event of
the national championships. It garnered a total score of 3,719 to
beat close rival Jakarta for the gold.
Yesterday's action in the national meet received the most
cheers from the crowd when Lilies Handayani of East Java, who is
expecting a baby in August, displayed her mastery by beating
surprise finalist Hartati of Jambi in the women's individual
event.
Lilies, a member of the national team which won the 1988
Olympic silver, outclassed a nervous Hartati 103-69 in the final.
Lilies also shattered the national record by seven points in the
semifinal when she scored 110. (amd)