Local judo body eying nine SEA Games golds
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Judo Association expects to win nine of the 16 gold medals on offer in the 19th SEA Games here in October.
"In the last Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we won nine golds, four silvers and three bronzes instead of the seven targeted by the National Sports Council. We expect to repeat that performance here," said Putu Denok, the judo training director, in Ciloto, West Java, Friday.
Twenty nine judokas are being groomed at the judo dormitory in Ciloto while five others are training at home because they cannot leave their jobs.
The initial training program, which started Oct. 10, 1996 and finished last Sunday, concentrated on physical fitness. On Monday the judokas started the first technical stage of the training program. It runs until March 15.
After this the judokas will have tryouts in Indonesia and then be sent abroad for overseas stints before the biennial event, which will be staged from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.
Antara reported that national athletes will leave for China Taipei in April or May to have an overseas stint with their local police.
They will fly to South Korea later to sharpen their physical condition and to Japan to improve their technical skills.
After returning from both countries, all athletes will go to the Police Academy in Semarang to acclimatize because the city is as hot as Jakarta.
Kresna Bayu, the 1995 Games gold medalist in the 86kg class, said that all athletes have prepared as well as they did for the last Games.
Bayu wanted to practice in Europe or Korea because he has no suitable sparring partner in this country.
Indonesia will rely on Aprilia Marzuki, a double SEA Games gold-medal winner, and old hand Hengky Pie (95kg), who will fight in the Games for his seventh consecutive time.
Weightlifting
The National Sports Council urged the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Body building Association to win at least six gold medals in the SEA Games.
Sri Indriyani, Sriyani, Taufiq, Winarni, Bastiah and Nyoman Gunarsah will be the country's first stringers in the Games.
"I believe that you all will do your best to win those golds," Djoko Pramono, the SEA Games training director, said Friday during his visit to Lampung.
Indonesia won seven golds in the last Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, while the host won 11.
Coach Imron Rosadi said that he would announce the final squad in April or May.
He said that Thailand and Vietnam would be the country's toughest opponents.
Meanwhile, powerlifter Sutrisno received Rp 10 million (US$4,170) from the council for winning the World Powerlifting Championship in Salzburg, Austria, in November.
"I'll save the money to help my mother and my relatives. And I'll buy prayer rugs for the mosques," said the 22-year-old athlete, father of a one-year-old son. (yan)