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.