Five RI boxers qualify for Olympic Games
Five RI boxers qualify for Olympic Games
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Pino Bahari and Hermensen Ballo did it their own way at the Asia Olympic qualifying tournament in Bangkok on Thursday.
Middleweight Pino fought tooth and nail before outscoring home favorite Buncha Malison to grab an Olympic berth. In the flyweight three-rounder earlier in the day, Hermensen dominated Khaled Falah of Syria to secure the coveted ticket.
The double victories bring the number of Indonesians qualified to go to Atlanta to five. Light-flyweight Lapaene Masara, Pino's brother Nemo, a featherweight, and light-middleweight Hendrik Simangunsong secured their berths in previous qualifying tournaments.
The tournament in Bangkok is the last Olympic selection for Asian boxers.
Winning and losing finalists in each class of the regional qualifiers will advance to the Atlanta games, except for the heavyweight contest, which is only open to champions.
Indonesian team manager Bambang Asmanu, however, forced his boxers to delay their celebrating. "They are not automatically going to Atlanta despite their wins. We will take a look at their performances leading up to the Olympics," he said.
Pino and company will undergo a series of training sessions at home, starting on March 10. The rigorous stint continues with two outings over three months in Uzbekistan and Cuba. The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association will not give them a break to go home during their Olympic preparation.
Indonesia only won two tickets in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics through Hendrik and Albert Papilaya. Albert crashed this time to China's Zhao Yong in Bangkok.
Pino was left trailing by two points in the first two rounds of Thursday's bout. A last-ditch effort in the final round helped Pino to turn back the tide. The referee and judges scored 9-8 in favor of Pino at the end of the fight.
Hermensen vindicated his last minute dismissal from the national team for the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last December. He set the pace with nearly flawless combinations to win a 13-6 point decision. (amd)