Junior stars break athletic records

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia Open Junior Track and Field Championships at the Senayan Madya Stadium saw five more national records shattered yesterday, taking the tally of new marks set at the meet to eight.

Nunung Jayadi from Jakarta opened the record-breaking spree by clearing 4.45m in the boys' pole vault. The Jakarta teenager leapt five centimeters higher than the old mark set by Nirman Rampai and stylishly displaced the 10-year-old record.

Maluku girl Irine Joseph geared up modestly for the upcoming Olympic Games in Atlanta despite winning the girls' 200m. She clocked 24.96secs to shave one a hundredth of a second off her own record set last year.

Asian Championships 10,000m silver medalist Triasih Handayani from Central Java joined the record breakers' list when she ran 2mins 11.04secs on her way to the girls' 800m gold medal. She beat her one-year-old mark of 2:11.10.

The three athletes are being groomed for the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Sydney scheduled for Aug. 25 to 30.

Girls' long and triple jumper Nyoman Rai, girls' 3,000m and 5,000m runners Rumini Sudragni and Ruwiyati, boys' 400m specialist Novian Suhandri and boy's 5,000m runner Eddy Junaedi will also be in the Indonesian team for the world meet.

Another Central Javanese, Darminah, set a new record in the girls' discus. She beat Juliana Effendi's mark of 36.74m with a throw of 40.92m.

Enos Furima of Irian Jaya sealed the day with yet another commendable showing. He clocked a new record and personal best, 53.80secs, in the boys' 400m hurdles to better an eight-year-old record of 54.54 set by Max Thenu in Singapore.

Winners and runners-up at the four-day meet will represent the country at the ASEAN Student Track and Field Championships, scheduled here for June 15 and 16. (yan)