Jump events unlikely to win Indonesia golds

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia may be unable to win gold medals in both the long jump and triple jump at the South East Asian (SEA) Games next month, but the country has a great chance of making a podium finish at the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea.

Newly signed Cuban coach Juan Felipe Ortiz Capote said on Wednesday he did not expect too much from his athletes in the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, citing the lack of time given to him to shape up his trainees.

"The time is very limited for me to improve their performance for the SEA Games but they will improve in the future.

"But I believe they will perform better at the 2002 Asian Games although the competition will be tougher. I am sure they can at least reach the finals," Capote told The Jakarta Post.

Capote, who signed a one-year contract last month, named triple jumper Junaedi and long jumper Wisnu Nugroho as the athletes with most medal-winning potential.

"Junaedi's best leap is 15.4 meters but he could make it 16.2 meters if he is able to improve his take-off. Wahyu jumped a personal best of 7.52 meters but could make it 7.7 meters if he improved his movement in the air," the coach said.

Capote said he was unable to rate his trainees' chance of winning medals at the SEA Games, mainly because he had never seen jumpers from other participating countries perform.

"I believe Indonesian track and field athletes have the potential to achieve great results. But they have to work harder to materialize it.

"It is important for them to improve their technique and undergo more exposure to international competitions. They already have good physical shape," he added.

Separately, the Indonesian Wrestling Association (PGSI) announced plans to stage the 23rd National Championships in Makassar, South Sulawesi in September. The event will serve as a warm-up competition for the 2002 Asian Games.

The championships, offering the President Cup, will take place at Makassar's Andi Mattalata-Mattoangin Sports Hall from Oct. 8 to Oct.13. There will be nine weight classes in both Greco-Roman and free-style divisions.

"We are holding the national championships to select our wrestlers before we host the ASEAN Wrestling Championship in November at the Sumantri Brojonegoro Sports Hall in Kuningan, South Jakarta," PGSI chairman Andi M. Ghalib told a media conference.

"The ASEAN championships itself is preparation for the Asian Games next year. We hope to be able to compete in the lighter weight classes as the heavier ones will be dominated by China, Japan, South Korea and former Soviet Asian republics."

Ghalib also said the world's wrestling governing body FILA had expressed its disappointment after the sport failed to win an entry to the SEA Games, despite the fact that a Malaysian, Muhammad Midin, chairs the Southeast Asian governing body.

"It seems that the organizing committee was reluctant to stage the sport fearing Indonesia would grab most of the gold medals," Ghalib, a former attorney general, said. (nvn)