Erni runs strong to win marathon gold for Indonesia

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi

Erni Ulatningsih went into high gear in the last few meters on Friday to win the women's marathon, while Allan Ballester of the Philippines crossed the men's tape. The 42.195-kilometer race started and finished at My Dinh Stadium.

Erni clocked 2:52.28, followed by Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Hoa at 2:53.53, and Indonesian Feri Marince Subnafeu came in third at 2:56.40. The Indonesian team wound up their track-and-field bout with an unexpected four golds.

It was a tight race, particular at the mid-point between eventual champ Erni and Nguyen.

"We were leading jointly until after the 21km or 22km mark, when the Vietnamese tried to leave us in the dust. I began to pick up my pace while trying to close the gap with her," Erni told reporters after the race.

"Entering the final 10km, I caught up with her, but it was not until in the final kilometer that I could finally take over the lead."

With the final soccer match between Vietnam and Thailand to be played later in the evening, hundreds of home fans had begun to flock to the stadium before the marathon was over. They lined up to the gate, waving flags in support of their athletes.

The Indonesian team, which had been informed of Erni's almost definite win, looked anxious inside the stadium. When the 23-year-old Indonesian appeared first at the gate, they broke into cries of joy, shouting "Erni! Erni!" to welcome the champion.

"I traveled such a long way from my parents back home. So I was determined I should win. I'm really happy," said Erni, ecstatic with happiness.

Although her time was below the Games' record, Erni had beat her personal best of 2:55.

Feri, who was the Indonesian favorite, had not fared well in the race because of a slight flu she had been battling for four days, but was able to join the victory celebration in the Indonesian camp.

"I told her she'd better not run for fear of her condition worsening. Even during the race, I told her she did not need to continue if she felt unwell, but she insisted on running," team manager Tigor Tanjung said.

In the men's marathon, I Gede Karangasem, who had suffered a cramp in the final 10km, just missed claiming a medal for Indonesia with a fourth-place finish.

"I was in the lead pack until the final 10km, when my thigh cramped up. I was unable to keep up from that point on, and began trailing behind," he said.

Ballester took the gold with a time of 2:21.03, followed 0.48 of a second behind by Nguyen Chi Dong of Vietnam and Boonchoo Jandacha bringing up third more than two seconds behind the champion.

Indonesia's other runner, Noce Matital, finished in eighth place.

The day's races brought Indonesia's track-and-field medal tally to four golds, four silvers and seven bronzes. Despite Friday's loss, Thailand still proved formidable with 13 golds, followed by Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, with eight each and Singapore with four.

Tigor had feared the Indonesian delegation was not quite up to par with the other competitors in terms of strength, but they claimed more golds than expected.

"We had been expecting only two. But we saw how the athletes battled hard on the track and on the field," he said.