Long-distance runner Supriati looks ahead to Sydney Games

JAKARTA (JP): Despite a nagging injury, Indonesian women's long-distance runner Supriati Sutono is aiming to qualify for the Olympic Games at the Chinese Taipei Open next month.

"I realize that I have yet to reach my peak form, as in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. But I want to see in the Taipei Open if I can qualify for the Olympics. I have to be optimistic. If I am pessimistic, I will lose my confidence before the competition," she said after a training session at Senayan Madya Stadium.

Supriati, the 1998 Asian Games gold medalist over 5,000 meters, will remain in Jakarta to train until Monday. The Army sergeant usually trains at the Pengalengan tea plantation in West Java, about 350 kilometers east of Jakarta.

"I am only training here for a change. I also want to lose weight," she said, adding that she had to lose two kilograms to reach her ideal weight of 42 kilograms.

She is optimistic she will qualify for the Olympics despite her limited preparation.

"When competing in the Asiad, I trained for one year without experiencing any mishaps. This year, I will only have three months (to train) prior to the Olympics. But I believe with a better training program, I will be able to run faster."

To qualify for the Olympics, Supriati has to clock a time below 15:55.00 in the 5,000m and 33:20.00 in the 10,000m. Her best time in the 5,000m is the 15 minutes 54.45 seconds she ran in winning the Asiad.

Supriati, who injured the sole of her left foot at the 1999 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei, admitted to feeling desperate during her six-month recovery.

"I was deeply frustrated when I thought about whether I could return to the form I had in 1998. At times, when I was desperate, I thought about quitting. But I couldn't do that. I have a responsibility as an athlete. My husband, Sergeant Suyanto, and my commander at the School for Commissioned Officers in Bandung, Brigadier General IGN Sugiri, always encourage me to keep on running."

Supriati said she had lost her power, speed and endurance due to her lack of training.

"So far, I have only done some light training. It's really difficult to start all over again. But I still beat all the young runners during our training sessions in Pengalengan." (yan)