Indonesia seeks pride in `takraw'

Indonesia seeks pride in `takraw'

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, represented by the Central Sulawesi
athletes who wore the national colors in Hiroshima's Asian Games
in October, set a modest target of finishing fourth in the first
World Sepaktakraw Championship in Kuala Lumpur from Dec. 13 to
Dec. 18.

Coach Iskandar Zulkarnaen said yesterday his athletes
Syahruddin Usman, Yusri Pakke, Hasyim and reserve Fahrizal were
in the best shape ever after undergoing three weeks of rigorous
training in Central Sulawesi's capital city Palu.

"We were focusing our training program on improving the skills
of our server," Iskandar told Antara news agency.

He predicted that his experienced squad will match world
sepaktakraw powerhouses such as Thailand and Malaysia in the 20-
field tournament vying for the Malaysian Prime Minister trophy.

Indonesia finished fourth at the sepaktakraw competition in
Hiroshima when the sport was making its debut as a full-fledged
medal event. (amd)