Jump events unlikely to win Indonesia golds

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)