Thu, 24 Aug 2000

Erwin sets modest target for his personal best

JAKARTA (JP): Men's sprinter Erwin Heru Susanto never dreamed of performing in the Olympic Games, but the 26-year-old seized the opportunity when it presented itself.

Erwin clocked a time of 10.16 seconds to finish second in the 100m at the 2000 National Games (PON) in East Java in June. To his surprise, this time also qualified him for the Olympics.

Together with Yanes Raubaba and John Herman Murray, who finished first and third respectively in the same event, he will compete in the 100m at the quadrennial event.

All three sprinters also broke the old national record of 10.20 seconds set by Mardi Lestari in Jakarta on Dec. 4, 1987. Yanes set the new record at 10.13.

"I'm happy that I qualified for the Olympics. I think I deserved it as the East Java team prepared for 18 months for PON. We performed well," he said.

He expressed hope he would be able to shave time off his personal best at the Olympics.

Erwin appeared bashful during the interview, and simply grinned when the secretary-general of the Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI), Tigor Tanjung, shook his hand after the inauguration ceremony for Indonesia's Olympic contingent here on Tuesday.

"Don't humiliate us," Tigor told him with a smile.

Born in Yogyakarta on June 24, 1974, Erwin switched from soccer to sprinting when he felt like he was stagnating at the Yogyakarta-based PSIM junior soccer club.

"I played soccer since I was young, but I used to sit on the substitute bench and watch my teammates play the whole match. I felt I would go nowhere, so in 1989 I tried my luck in a junior track and field championships in Jakarta. At the time, I ran barefoot because I didn't have spikes.

"I managed to win the overall championship in the event and earned Rp 600,000 in prize money. I bought a pair of spikes for Rp 200,000 and used the rest to return to Yogyakarta," said the youngest of three children.

After the championships, Erwin was invited to join the centralized track and field training center at Senayan Madya stadium.

Erwin had the courage to make a major life change and move to East Java after he was unable to compete in the 1997 Southeast Asian Games here due to a hamstring injury.

"Since I moved to East Java in 1998, I have wanted to give my all. The East Java authorities gave me a job as an official at the youth affairs and sports agency of the provincial administration.

"At the time I was having problems getting a job. Athletics does not promise a good livelihood. PASI pledged to give me a job, but I waited a long time for it," he said.

Erwin, who also runs the 200m and 4x100m relay, said his ambition now was to break the national record of 20.93 in the 200m set by Purnomo Yudi Wijaya in Los Angeles on Aug. 6, 1984.

"The 100m national record has been surpassed, but Purnomo's record hasn't. I am eager to break it," said Erwin, who also takes classes at the School of Social and Political Science at WR Supratman University in Surabaya.

He said he would run as long as he was able. "I might take part in the 2004 PON in Palembang, South Sumatra. After that, I don't know. But I think I will run when I'm in my 30s. I remember that Mardi was still running when he was 33." (ivy)