Indonesia rules the road, winning team time trials
Indonesia rules the road, winning team time trials
By Dwiatmanta
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (JP): Indonesia pedaled its way to a golden double in the 18th Southeast Asian Games cycling competition yesterday, winning both the men's and women's team time trial.
Nurhayati, who triumphed in the individual pursuit on Tuesday, spurred the Indonesian women's quartet to the best time of one hour, 11 minutes and 50.733 seconds, ahead of a struggling Thailand team which clocked 1:12:44.088.
Formidable teamwork on the part of the Indonesian men's riders paid off when they made a clean sweep of the day with a combined time of 2:10:41.976. Thailand kept up the pressure, finishing second for the silver.
The time scored by a team in a time trial event is an average of the times clocked by the team's first three riders.
The two cycling golds were more than a mere consolation for the Indonesian team, which suffered a double upset at the hand of host Thailand on the first day of competition in the biennial event on Sunday.
The national cyclists have now bagged five gold medals, a far better result than they achieved at the last Games two years ago in Singapore. They are now eying the two golds which remain in cycling. These will both be up for grabs, also on the road, tomorrow.
Yesterday's cycling races confirmed the continuing neck-and- neck rivalry between Indonesia and Thailand in this sport. Thailand has scored three golds from cycling, including the first two golds offered on Sunday.
Nurhayati played a pivotal role in holding the Thais' attention in the 50-kilometer race yesterday. With the Thai quartet wasting their time in checking Nurhayati, the other cyclists -- Nuraini, Suharmisri and Selly Guntari -- sprinted their way to their best time.
The Thais, spearheaded by Chalerm Chamchun (who earlier had the honor of becoming the first gold medalist of the Games), clocked an average time of 1:12:44.088, followed by Vietnam with 1:20:02.293.
The Indonesian men had a slightly easier time yesterday. Tonton Susanto, Mohammad Hadi, Tubagus Mohammad Maulana and Ismail Eggi Eirin had an average margin of almost two minutes ahead of Thailand.
The Philippines, an old foe of Indonesia in cycling, managed only the bronze after clocking an average time of 2:14:25.084.
"We were determined to prove that we could beat the host cyclists in these races," coach Puspita Mustika Adya said after the double wins. "We have now regained our confidence to stay on our winning track."
Puspita looks certain to bank on his aces Nurhayati and Nuraini in the women's 73-km road race and on Suwandra in the men's 173-km race.
"It's going to be a close race, but I'm ready to make it three after this morale boosting win," Nurhayati said. The Yogyakarta-based women's cyclist won the Indonesian cycling team's only gold in 1993.
Drought
Indonesia continued to suffer a gold medal famine in track and field yesterday by winning only the men's long jump event through Agus Reza's efforts. The Indonesian title holder leapt an under- par 7.55 meters for Indonesia's fifth track and field gold.
Host Thailand confirmed its supremacy, adding four more golds to its collection of 15. The tremendous run performed by the host athletes climaxed when Renchai Seehawong clinched the region's fastest man title. Renchai clocked a modest 10.47 seconds for the 100m dash, his second gold after his victory in the 200m on Tuesday.
But the Thais failed to further extend the list of its record breakers. Two new marks yesterday were set by Filipino pole vaulter Edward Lasouette and Malaysia's men's high jumper Loo Kum Zee.
Lasouette vaulted to 4.90m to improve the old mark by five centimeters. Loo also soared to a record breaking height of 2.24m that beat compatriot Lou Cwee Peng's record of 2.21m. Wong Yew Tong of Singapore joined the record breaking leap, but he remained two centimeters below Loo.
There was a drama on the track yesterday as Khin Khin Thwe of Myanmar tumbled in a neck-to-neck final sprint of the women's 800m race, allowing Saipin Suetrong to win the gold.
Saipin clocked 2:07.48, well ahead of Dang Thi Teo of Vietnam and defending champion Ester Sumah of Indonesia.
Anastasia Silvaraj put herself among SEA Games record holder when she won the newly introduced women's 5,000m walk in 22:50.24.
In the late action, Filipino runner Elma Muros filled the women's sprint throne left by compatriot Lydia de Vega. Muros clocked the 100m in 11.81. Muros has now won three golds after her triumph in the 200m and long jump events on Tuesday and Wednesday.