Indonesia rules marathon race at SEA Games
Indonesia rules marathon race at SEA Games
By Dwiatmanta
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (JP): Two marathon gold medals went into Indonesia's coffers at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in a day which saw a record-breaking spree in the track and field competition yesterday.
Suyono and Ruwiyati triumphed in the men's and women's marathon respectively in new Games best times to mark Indonesia's resurgence in athletics events.
Suyono clocked two hours, 21 minutes and two seconds to put himself on the record-breakers list for the Dec. 9-17 Games. The 28-year-old East Javanese shaved more than two minutes off the old mark, set by Herman Suizo of the Philippines.
Indonesia confirmed its total control in the long-distance race, with Ethel Hadson coming second in the record-breaking time of 2:21:22 for the silver. Roy Vence of the Philippines took the bronze in 2:21:51.
There was no big surprise in the women's marathon when talented Ruwiyati sped to the gold medal in 2:34:29, smashing the six-year-old record of 2:45:43 set by compatriot Suryati Marija in Kuala Lumpur.
The marathon is the only track and field event competed yesterday.
The Indonesian couple's superb performance yesterday took the tally of new records to eight in the morning, after four days of competition.
Another record was set in the SEA Games marathon this year when Ruwiyati and her six challengers were timed under Suryati's best time.
Half of the eight finishers in the men's marathon also surpassed the old record. However, it was an unlucky day for veteran Suizo as he was forced to pull out of the race after the 23-kilometer mark.
Indonesian track and field team manager Pieter Noya said Suyono's victory surprised him. "We never expected our athlete to win the men's marathon gold due to the daunting challenges from Suizo and alike," Noya said.
But Noya, who is also the national track and field coach, was not too pleased with his trainees' times. "They would have done better if they had managed to run constantly in the first half," Noya said. Both Ruwiyati and Suyono won the Malang International Marathon in East Java last April.
Breakaway
Suyono joined the pack from the start, before he attempted a breakaway after 20km. With Suizo giving up, Ethel and Rameshon closely marked the East Javanese runner until the 35th km of the race.
A consistent Suyono sped up his pace to break away from the pack, leaving only Ethel his closest checker in the final two kilometers. Ethel crossed the finish line at the Lamphoon stadium just eight hundredths of a second away from Suyono.
Ruwiyati kept the lead of the small pack of runners who were completing the 42.125-km route in Lamphoon, about 30 kilometers north of here, under a close marking of Singaporean Yvonne Tan Danson.
The 18-year-old Indonesian, however, showed her mastery in the final sprint. Ruwiyati quickly sprinted into a 2,00m clear in the last-ditch duel. A tired-looking Danson, who also ran in 10,000m on Tuesday, failed to keep up with Ruwiyati's cool pace.
Coach Noya said the double victories would revive Indonesia's bid for 11 golds in the biennial event. "It will be difficult to meet such a target, but we hope to win at least five more," he said.
The men's long jump, men's triple jump, men's 1,500m, heptathlon and women's 800m are all that Noya expected to add to Indonesia's modest gold medals collection of four.
Thailand is leading the medal race in track and field with 14 golds. The Thais need only one more to meet their ambition of romping home with 15 gold medals.