Juniors race on World Athletics Day

Juniors race on World Athletics Day

JAKARTA (JP): More than 400 school students from 23 of the
country's provinces will celebrate World Athletics Day with a
four-day junior championships, due to start tomorrow.

Committee chairman Gurmilang Kartasasmita of the Indonesian
Track and Field Association said yesterday that the competition
will serve as one of the opportunities for juniors to display
their talents.

"We are concerned about motivating the students to do well.
Early grooming is vital in the sport before athletes go to
international-level competitions," Gurmilang said.

The International Amateur Athletics Federation has ordered all
member countries to adopt their own National Athletics Day as the
occasion to mark the world-wide campaign to develop track and
field.

All of the 411 participants at the national junior meet are
aged under 19 and 152 of them are junior high school students. A
total of 75 gold medals are up for grabs in both the boys' and
girl' events.

Riau, East Kalimantan, Southeast Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi
will be the absent provinces.

Four out of five Indonesian junior athletes who won gold
medals in the Philippines Open last week have confirmed their
participation here. They are Irene Joseph, the girls' 100m and
200m champion, girls' long jumper Nyoman Rai, boys' 400m runner
Novian Suhendra and pole vaulter Nunung Jayadi.

Gurmilang said that the four-day competition will also serve
as a talent spotting ground for the Southeast Asian Student
Championships here on June 15 and the World Junior Championships
scheduled for Sydney in August. (amd)