Nurhayati proves marriage no barrier for her career
KUALA LUMPUR (JP): For many athletes, marriage stands between them and success. But Nurhayati is one of the few exceptions.
The 31-year-old cyclist has pedaled her way to two gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games. She won the 3-kilometer individual pursuit on Monday and point race the day after.
Her two-year-old daughter, Liontin Evangelina Setiawan, was among those who witnessed her prowess, showing a class above her peers in the region.
"The National Sports Council (KONI) covers all expenses for my mother and daughter being here, so I have to repay it by giving my best performance," she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Her two wins out of two also proves that age does not matter in sports.
But she admits to having lost some of her strength that has led to her winning 12 gold medals dating back to the 1989 Games also held in Kuala Lumpur.
She only missed the Games in 1999, when she gave birth to her daughter.
The third child of Supardi and Mutini's seven children, Nurhayati is married to fellow cyclist Henri Setiawan. Her younger sister, Nuraini, is also Indonesia's best bet in this year's SEA Games.
Nurhayati said she was still recovering from wounds to her left elbow and knee when she fell during a practice session prior to the Kuala Lumpur outing.
"It feels good to compete with younger cyclists here. But I have to admit that I rely a lot more on my maturity and experience than my power," she said.
Nurhayati asserted these two factors were the key to success, especially for junior riders.
"Our junior riders already have good skills but they need to enrich their experience by taking part in more events so that they can feel the heat. They need to improve their mental resilience," she said.
She found many of her juniors lacked fighting spirit when they cracked under pressure.
For this reason, she suggested that the Indonesian Cycling Association (ISI) give second-string cyclists more shots at international tournaments.
"Another important thing needed is systematic talent scouting and a comprehensive development program for new recruits. ISI must be able to expose new riders in events in accordance with their character," she continued.
One good example is Santia Tri Kusuma, who grabbed the gold medal in the women's 500m individual time trial.
"She (Santia) was previously a mountain bike (MTB) specialist. But she turned out to be good in the track event," Nurhayati said.
Nurhayati said she had not planned retirement in the near future despite her age.
"I don't think that I will retire soon because all cyclists are preparing for the Pusan 2002 Asian Games. As for myself, I will have to wait until I find it too hard to cycle anymore," she said assertively. (nvn)