International meets for RI SEAG athletes
International meets for RI SEAG athletes
JAKARTA (JP): The national athletes will participate in
several international meets prior to the Kuala Lumpur Southeast
Asian (SEA) Games in September as a final selection for the
biennial event.
"PASI (The Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association) expects
the athletes to improve their personal bests at the meets, which
will also serve as the final selection for the SEA Games team,"
PASI secretary-general Tigor Tanjung said on Wednesday.
"The try-out session is very important as they hardly have any
competitors or enough competitions here."
PASI will send juniors Roza Herlinda in hammer throw, Dwi
Ratna in discuss, Olivia Sadi in the women's 800-meter and Akrin
in the men's 800-meter to the Asian Junior Championships in
Brunei Darussalam from July 19 to July 22.
Juniors Qurais and Rika Fardani will compete at the World
Championships in Edmonton, Canada, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 12 for
100-meter and 200-meter dash.
PASI will also send 11 seniors, including men's pole vaulter
Nunung Jayadi, and Dedeh Erawati in the women's 100-meter hurdle,
to the Malaysia Open from July 27 to July 29.
Tigor was speaking during a supervision by National Sports
Council (KONI) chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar.
"The athletes' performance after the first and second phases
of training are still below expectation as most of them have yet
to equal their personal bests," said Tigor.
"Several records were broken during the National Athletics
Championships from June 17 to June 20, but none was made at the
first series of the National Athletics Grand Prix on July 1."
"We expect the athletes to improve their form in the second
leg of the Grand Prix on July 15."
In the championships, women's pole vaulter Ni Putu Desi
Margawati sharpened her own national record of 3.90 meters to 4
meters. Women's hammer thrower Yurita Ariani improved her own
record of 46.56 meters to 50.39 meters.
Aria Yuniawan improved his own record in the men's high jump
from 2.06 meters to 2.08 meters. Kristian L Tobing bettered the
men's 20,000-meter walking time from 1:33:19 to 1:32:50.
During the occasion, throwers and jumpers complained that it
was difficult to perform better as they did not have proper shoes
for the competition.
Tigor said the shoes were not available in Indonesia as the
market was limited to athletes.
"We have to order the shoes from Japan and Germany. The
problem is an athlete needs different shoes when competing in two
or three events. It costs up to US$100 for each pair of shoes."
"We also have problems with the Tax and Excise Directorate
General, which has rejected KONI's request to free sports
equipment from luxury tax."
"Javelin costs $100 each and a pole vault costs between $300
and $400 each. We cannot provide more equipment for out athletes
outside Jakarta if the tax is imposed." (nvn)