'I didn't mean to use doping,' Tonton tells hearing

BANDUNG (JP): "I didn't mean to use banned substances," Indonesian cyclist Tonton Susanto said with a gloomy face at a hearing with the Indonesian Cycling Association and the association's West Java branch officials yesterday.

Tonton, who won two golds, was found guilty of using fencafamine after winning the 40kms Individual Time Trial (ITT) on Oct. 12. His other gold came from the individual road race.

Tonton explained that he received Amoxcilyn, Decolcin and Reaktifan from his uncle, who works as a paramedic.

"On Oct. 10 afternoon, my uncle visited me at the hotel because my mother sent him and I told him about my illness," he said.

"Those medicines were bought without a doctor's prescription and bought for one-day consumption. But I only took them twice in the one day."

He said he did not receive any instructions from the contingent doctor that athletes were not allowed to drink free medicines until one day before the competition began.

Tonton told the doping control and gender verification committee that took his urine samples that he had written down all the vitamins and medicines he had consumed, including Neurobion, Exter C and Hemaviton.

"But I didn't write the three medicines I had consumed because it had been more than 24 hours (since I took them)," he said.

Tonton said he had suffered the illness since training in Subang, West Java on Oct. 8.

Two days later, he had an official practice on the Jakarta - Cikampek toll road with teammates M. Basri and Handi. But he was still suffering from his illness.

At the time, none of the coaches or officials were available because they were busy preparing equipment and had a technical meeting.

Tonton rejected accusations that the medicines he consumed improved his performance in the competition.

"My time in the competition was worse than in the 1996 National Games, the 1995 SEA Games and practices," he said.

"I was told that my urine samples for the ITT event was positive on Oct. 19. I then met the chef de mission with my coach and Dr. Hario Tilarso (the association's vice chairman)," he said.

Tonton said he was ready to accept the punishment.

"I want to keep the gold because I didn't have any intention to use banned substances," he said.

Tonton's other samples, taken after the Individual Road Race on Oct. 17, were negative.

The West Java branch chairman, Dani Setiawan, said the branch was also partly to blame.

"We'll try our best to make Tonton receive a light punishment. We'll also try to enable to keep practicing," he said.

The association's secretary-general, Husein Argasasmita, said: "The case has been reported to the International Cycling Union. We'll just wait for the results."

The hearing was attended by Husein and his deputy Sofyan Ruzian, the cycling training director Didi Sudijanto, Dani and his deputy H. Masduki. (43/yan)