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)