Injured Karuna out of KL Games

Injured Karuna out of KL Games

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's tae kwon do team lost one of its
best medal-winning hopes at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games with
the withdrawal of heavyweight Karuna through injury during
training in Berkeley, California.

Karuna, a student at the University of California at Berkeley
which is the center of student tae kwon doins in the U.S.,
sustained the undisclosed injury some three weeks ago, the
Indonesian Tae Kwon Do Association (TI) secretary-general, Adrian
Lumowa, said on Friday.

"We don't know exactly what kind of injury he is suffering but
we expect it is only a minor one. It was only last week we
received the news that his right ankle was strained," Adrian told
reporters.

"It is a risk that all fighters have to take during training.
If you don't want to get injured, don't be a fighter."

Despite the considerably light injury, Karuna's doctor ordered
him to take full rest for two months, thus eliminating his chance
of competing in Kuala Lumpur.

The tae kwon do association did not call up Karuna for the
training camp at home bearing in mind that there were so many
quality coaches at his university.

Karuna was also preparing himself for the inter-university
world championships to be held in Berkeley, apart from his SEA
Games preparation.

In Karuna's absence, TI will send the remaining 15 fighters as
there is no eligible replacement for him.

Adrian however was still upbeat that Indonesian fighters could
secure four gold medals, as set by the association.

Separately interviewed, woman fighter Juana Wangsa Putri is
determined to win a gold on any occasion in which she appears at
the SEA Games.

Juana, 24, won a gold in her SEA Games debut in Jakarta in
1997. She skipped the Brunei meeting due to her commitment to the
Olympics program.

"Now the chance has come again. And I don't want to let it
slip through my hands. I'm eager to make it a double
achievement," Juana said.

Juana said that she and her team mates were in good shape
after two months of overseas training in South Korea, where they
had been pitted against strong fighters in several friendly
meetings.

TI has also provided its athletes with a military-style
workout in cooperation with the Marines.

"We benefit greatly from such training. It has enhanced our
physical and mental shape as well as our confidence," Juana said.

However, she admitted that she was worried about unfair
refereeing.

"If the referees go against us, what more can I say? I just
want to call on them to uphold fairness," said Juana, who
finished third in the 2000 World Championship in Croatia.

Diving

Meanwhile, the Indonesian diving team's gold hope seems to lie
with Shenny Ratna Amelia, the gold medalist in Brunei.

"The team looks to be improving after China's outing. They
look more confident," coach Harly Ramayani told The Jakarta Post
during her protege's training at the Bung Karno Swimming Pool.
Shenny will compete in the 10m competition.

The team, which has just returned from a training camp in
China, comprises Eka Purnama Indah, Nani Wulansari, Herliani Dias
and Shenny in the women's competition; Husaini Noor, M. Nasrullah
and Sukran Jamjani in the men's.

The Indonesian Swimming Federation (PRSI) is also expecting
another gold medal from Nani and Eka in women's synchronized
diving. In the men's event, PRSI is fielding Nasrul and Noor.

"Eka and Nani have a better chance of winning the gold medal
than Nasrul and Noor. But it doesn't mean that we don't stand a
chance in the men's synchronized diving," said Harly. (01/nvn)