Jakarta succeeds both as host and as team
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta has achieved success, both in hosting the 14th National Games and in meeting its target of winning 100 gold medals, the city's top sports chief said.
The chairman of Jakarta's sports governing body, Kusnan Ismukanto, however, said that despite its successful record, he was unable to say whether the capital city deserved the term "successful" when it came to judging its athletes' performances.
"I haven't appraised their performances yet. But I believe they have done their best. I hope more and more Jakarta athletes will receive the call-up for next year's Southeast Asian Games," he said.
Ismukanto said Jakarta athletes were successful because of their very strict training systems and overseas tryouts.
"Months before the Games, some sports organizations asked for our permission to send their athletes abroad and we fulfilled some of their requests," he said.
"We let them send gymnasts to Beijing, for instance, or water polo players to Hong Kong or paragliders to Spain and Australia," he said.
Moreover, their success was also attributable to good cooperation between athletes and their coaches, Ismukanto said. "Prior to the Games, the athletes were already very confident and I believe their successfulness will strengthen their confidence," he added.
However, Ismukanto declined to talk about traditional cash bonuses for the city's medal-winning athletes.
Rowing
Meanwhile Southeast Sulawesi gained the lion's share of the medals in the rowing competitions, which concluded Tuesday, winning nine golds, three silvers and five bronzes.
Second in the medal table was Central Kalimantan with seven gold medals. West Java, considered by many as an underdog team, surprisingly took five gold medals to finish third.
Host Jakarta struggled to finish seventh with just one gold and two silvers in the water sports.
A total of 27 golds were on offer in rowing, canoeing and kayaking, which were all staged at the Jatiluhur dam in Purwakarta, West Java.
Southeast Sulawesi's team were forced to fight to the end to pip arch rival Central Kalimantan.
On the final day of competition the Southeast Sulawesi kayaking quartet of Karim, Frans Tukas, Lampung and Kurseno, despite their seemingly relaxed manner, won the men's 500m kayak four. West Java and Central Kalimantan finished less than a meter behind.
A Southeast Sulawesi's rowing official, Anwar Hamzah, erupted in joy to celebrate his province's success but warned that West Java could emerge as a more dangerous opponent than Central Kalimantan in the future.
Hamzah made his comment after seeing Central Kalimantan, hot favorite in the women's kayak events, earn just one gold in its most treasured gold medal mine. (arf)