Indonesian archers miss overseas tryout

Indonesian archers miss overseas tryout

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian women's archery team will miss
its last chance for an overseas tryout in Slovenia, its final
tune-up prior to the Olympic Games.

National Olympic team project officer Subardi Suar told The
Jakarta Post and the RCTI TV station yesterday that the
organizers of the 25th Outdoor Target Archery Championships in
Kranjskagora, Slovenia ruled out any participation of countries
outside Europe and the Mediterranian.

The tournament will take place from June 17 to June 23.

Subardi indicated while observing a training session at the
Senayan archery range that there will be no tryout abroad for the
women archers. Instead, they will only play a simulation game in
two weeks.

"I know that an overseas stint is very important for the
team's preparation, both technically and mentally. But I don't
think that the tryout is the only way to observe their progress,"
Subardi argued.

Earlier, the archery team had canceled its plan to take part
in an Olympic warm-up tournament in Atlanta, held from April 9 to
April 14 at the venue designated for the Games. Coach Daniel
Lumalesil dropped the plan after learning that his players
performed poorly in several previous tournaments.

National Sports Council vice chairman Arie Sudewo and Vice
President of the Citibank Asia-Pacific Consumer Bank Farid Aidid
watched yesterday's scoring test.

Nurfitriyana Saiman Lantang, Dahliana, Hamdiah Damanhuri,
juniors Elizabeth Sumampouw and Suhartini, as well as veteran
Purnama Pandiangan, took part in the scoring test yesterday.

Nurfitriyana hit the highest score of 631 out of possible 720
points, followed by Dahliana with 629 and Hamdiah with 604.

The Olympic archery elimination competition requires 64 female
archers to hit a 70-meter target in 12 series, during each of
which they have to shoot six arrows.

Subardi said that the three-member national Olympic archery
team will be announced by the end of this month.

Archery has been considered one of Indonesia's potential
medal-winning sports at the Olympics, but Subardi declined to
talk about the prospects.

"I'm optimistic that the team will do their best. Hopefully
they can earn a silver medal as they did in Seoul eight years
ago," he said.

Nurfitriyana, Purnama and Kusumawardhani formed a silver
winning team in the 1988 Olympics, giving Indonesia its first-
ever medal. (yan)