Jakarta clinches overall cycling title
JAKARTA (JP): National rider Herry Janto Setiawan scooped three more gold medals yesterday in the invitational cycling tournament here, leading Jakarta to the overall title in the two- day meet.
Herry, a silver medalist in the 18th Southeast Asian Games last year, wound up the day with a convincing win in the 30-kilometer point race. No national records were broken however, despite the incentive of Rp 1 million (US$435) offered by chairman of the Indonesian Cycling Association Harry Sapto.
Earlier in the day, Herry inspired the three Setiawan brothers to a pair of gold medals in the Olympic Sprint gold medal in one minute and 7.09 seconds and the 4,000m Team Pursuit in a combined time of 4:44.68.
The three successive victories yesterday took Herry's gold- medal tally to five after winning the Individual Time Trial and the Win and Out races on Friday. The multiple laurels earned him the best male cyclist award of the annual event organized by the Jakarta-based Sports Journalists Association.
A Herry-led Jakarta team collected five golds, four silvers and a bronze to regain the overall title it last won two years ago.
Defending champion Yogyakarta, powered by veterans Nurhayati and her sister Nuraini, finished second overall with two golds, followed by West Java which won a gold, three silvers and two bronzes.
SEA Games gold medalist Nurhayati was named the best cyclist in the women's category, thanks to her two victories in the 3,000m Individual Pursuit and the 500m Individual Time Trial.
"The results today did not surprise me because I knew I was unchallenged in this tournament," Nurhayati said. The 26-year-old cycling queen has now set her sights on a golden clean sweep in the 14th National Games this September before retiring.
The men's sprint title went to West Javanese Andri Sudrajat, who beat Malaysia's junior rider Jamil Kadiron in a photo finish. Both cyclists clocked 11.73 seconds after a grueling race at the Rawamangun velodrome in front of hundreds of spectators. (amd)