Mon, 20 Nov 2000

Indonesia dominates Pencak Silat c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Southeast Asian countries dominated the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championships which ended on Sunday by claiming the three top spots at the biennial event.

Host Indonesia maintained its domination by grabbing 14 of 22 golds at stake and adding two silvers to reclaim the overall title.

Vietnam finished second after collecting five golds, six silvers and two bronzes followed by Malaysia with two golds, six silvers and four bronzes.

Men's fighter Abas Akbar, competing in the D (60kgs-65kgs) class, managed to defeat Vietnamese Le Van Long 5-0 in a dull match where both fighters were booed by nearly 5,000 disappointed spectators.

Coach Maryanto even had to slap Abas face three times after the first round, asking him to be more aggressive.

"I asked him to launch more attacks but it seemed Abas decided to play safely," he said after the match.

"Le also played carefully, avoiding any speculations of direct attacks. I have to admit it wasn't enjoyable to watch."

Meanwhile, Abas told reporters that his passivity was part of his strategy to win the match.

"Most fighters in my class have seen my matches and can read my strategy. That's why I played carefully. I need to have a new strategy for the Kuala Lumpur 2001 SEA Games," he said.

Indonesian Tri Widodo took the gold after beating Nguyen That Tam of Vietnam 5-0 in men's the B (50kgs-55kgs) class. Yamadi Putra also eliminated another Vietnamese Nguyen Thanh Bach Nhut 5-0 in the I (85kgs-90kgs) class.

In the G (75kgs-80kgs) class, Rony Syaifulah outclassed Azhar bin Ahmad of Malaysia for a 5-0 victory.

Two of Indonesia's 14 golds were obtained due to Vietnamese walkouts. Haris Nugroho was scheduled to meet Dinh Cong Son in the E (65kgs-70kgs) class while Fentje Roike Maengkom was to take on Bui Phu Sao in the F (70kgs-75kgs) class.

No official statement was released due to the walkover. Reports said Vietnam's manager Nguyen Ngoc Anh banned his athletes from competing due to their health condition.

Nakin Kamsri of Thailand won the gold for his country after ousting Singaporean Mohammad Zulfakar 3-2 in a tough C (55kgs- 60kgs) class match.

Vietnam earned the H (80-85kgs) class gold after Nguyen Van Hung comfortably defeated Malaysian Ahmad Faisal 5-0.

Vietnam showed domination the women's division by grabbing five of six golds on offer. Another gold was grabbed by Indonesia.

Le Thi Hang eliminated Jatuporn Lamsa-ad of Thailand in the A (45kgs-50kgs) class and Nguyen Ngoc Anh defeated Hadizah binte Buang of Malaysia in the B (50-55kgs) class.

Trinh Thi Muy clinched another victory after beating Hamidah binte Jafaar of Malaysia in the C class.

Indonesia dominated the martial arts events by clean sweeping all six gold medals at stake. Indonesia had won four golds Saturday.

In women's single, Tuti Winarni won the gold with 466 points. Ulla Britt Lutze of Austria took the silver with 444 and Rosidah binte Haji Lamit of Brunei Darussalam took the bronze with 443.

Le Kim Chinh of Vietnam could have won the silver until her machete fell and was penalized 15 points. Her score was 442.

Iyus Yusuf Hidayat and Asep Solihin maintained Indonesia's domination in the martial arts by winning the men's double with 568 points.

Twins Pitzevan and Pitzedgar Landicho of the Philippines were second with 551. Ibon Perez Fernandex and Txema Goiri Sanchoyerto of Spain took the bronze with 548. (nvn)