Indonesian swimmers finish third
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia finished in third place at the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Age Group Swimming Championships, which drew to a close on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesia collected a total of 16 gold medals, 11 silver and 18 bronze, from a total of 94 events. The Indonesian Swimming Federation (PRSI) sent a team of 11 boys and 11 girls.
Coach Elfira Rosa Nasution said here on Tuesday that the result was an improvement from last year's performance at the event when Indonesia finished fourth, winning only eight gold.
"We can't say it's a poor result because the swimmers achieved tremendous success. Furthermore, they were expected to have reached their peak during the national championships in May," she said over the phone.
"We must also consider financial hindrances which prevented us from sending more swimmers.
"The strength within the region was relatively widespread, without a specific country dominating the championships. Some countries were strong in certain disciplines while others had victories in other disciplines."
Overall champion Singapore, sending some 50 swimmers, collected 30 gold, 42 silver and 23 bronze. Thailand, represented by only 17 swimmers, were runners-up after collecting 26 gold, 14 silver and 18 bronze.
Host country Malaysia, fielding some 60 swimmers, only finished fifth in the overall standings, taking seven gold, 14 silver and 18 bronze.
Indonesian Muhammad Akbar Nasution broke the championship record in the boys' age group 1 (15 to 17-year-olds) 200 meter breaststroke. He clocked 2:24.45 -- a second faster than the previous record set by Wuttiorn Siriplabpl of Thailand.
PRSI used the championships to assess the performance of its juniors prior to the Kuala Lumpur 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which will be held from Sept. 8 to Sept. 17.
"We will use the championships to improve our preparation for the SEA Games because the winners are very likely to be included in each country's team," Elfira said.
"The swimmers still have three months left to improve their performance. We will focus on improving their power and stamina." (nvn)