Indonesia falls at final bridge hurdle
Indonesia falls at final bridge hurdle
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia came within a whisker of fulfilling
its dreams of winning its first Bridge Olympics gold medal but
eventually crashed to a 238-329 defeat to defending champion
France in the men's final on Rhodes Island, Greece, last night.
Playing under the watchful eyes of the Indonesian Contract
Bridge Association's chairman, Lt. Gen. Wiranto, the combinations
of Henky Lasut/Eddy Manoppo, Denny Sacul/Franky Karwur and Sance
Panelewen/Giovanni Watulingas failed to reproduce the form that
helped them reach the final.
"Our players reached peak form when we beat Denmark in
Thursday's semifinal. They were in such a buoyant mood after that
nerve-wracking semifinal that they felt satisfied enough just to
make it to their first ever final," Barce Polii, an official with
the Indonesian bridge association told The Jakarta Post.
The victory, France's fourth and second in a row, confirmed
Europe's long-held stranglehold on the Olympics. Since their
inception in 1956, the Olympics have seen Italy triumphing three
times and Poland once, with the United States being the only non-
European team to win the quadrennial event.
France had already prepared its victory celebration when it
built up a commanding 111-point lead going into the seventh and
penultimate session. A helpless Indonesia benched exhausted Henky
and Eddie for Sance/Giovanni in the final session to score a
consolation 62-42 win.
Big surpise
"It's not an upset loss. The fact that we made it to the final
was a big surprise," Barce consoled.
The Indonesian team will move up to the life master grade from
world master for its commendable showing in this year's Olympics.
Indonesia beat France 21-9 in their Group A round-robin match.
The Indonesians will return home on Wednesday and are expected
to receive a warm reception from the National Sports Council's
top brass at Soekarno-Hatta airport.
The Netherlands will host the next Olympics in Maastricht.
Played every leap year, the Olympics are one of the two most
prestigious competitions in bridge. The other is the Bermuda Bowl
world championship, played every two odd years.
Greece hosted its first Olympics in this 1,417-square-meter
island lying in the Southeast Aegean, a 40-minute flight from
Athens. (amd)