Pencak silat athletes save RI pride

Pencak silat athletes save RI pride

By Novan Iman Santosa

KUALA LUMPUR (JP): Pencak silat athletes salvaged some
Indonesian pride at the SEA Games after winning four golds on
Friday as the two-horse race between Malaysia and Thailand
intensified.

Bambang Priwahyudi, Tuti Winarni, Dwi Shimanto and the pairing
of Yusuf Hidayat/Asep Solihin gave some consolation to Indonesia,
which looks destined to end up in the third position in the
overall championship stakes.

With three days to go, Indonesia is stuck in a distant third
position with only 51 golds. The defending champion is steadily
moving up the ladder with 69 golds compared to Malaysia's 73.

Apart from pencak silat, a traditional form of martial art
popular in the Southeast Asian nations, cycling, judo and
shooting were the only other two sports that produced gold for
Indonesia.

The cycling arena has become the gold mine for the Indonesian
contingent. After a nine-gold collection from the track, the team
reaped another two from the mountain bike event in Selangor on
Friday.

Risa Suseanty won the women's 1.5km Down Hill in three minutes
and 50.59 seconds. She beat Thailand's Kanittha Pratom to second
place on 3:52.36 seconds, while Vietnam's Thi Thuy Trang finished
third on 3:58.38 seconds.

Her male compatriot Sugianto Setiawan covered the 1.5 km route
in 3 minutes and 10.20 seconds, to leave behind the Thai duo of
Sitichai Gatekaewmanee on 3:11.65 and Nutawut Patihan on 3:21.51.

Dwi Simanto put up a brave fight against Manop Leewat Janakl
of Thailand to win the middleweight final for the team's second
gold at the meet.

The shooting range yielded another gold for Indonesia from the
team double trap competition.

Indonesian archer Kuswantoro failed to make the SEA Games a
double success after being narrowly pipped by Parawit Poliunoleed
of Thailand 108-107 in the men's individual.

Contests in the track and field and inside the weightlifting
hall ended up with only a silver. Sylvia Silimang added the tally
with a silver in the women's individual double trap.

Ong Kok Hin in the men's hammer throw, Darimah in women's
discuss and Supriati Sutono in 1,500 meters took to the field
with high hopes only to find themselves second-bested at the end.

Likewise, Joko Hanggono could only win a silver for the
weightlifting team. But unlike their athletics compatriots, the
lifters should come back home with their heads held high.

Joko's silver was only an extra medal to their collection
which already consists of six golds.

In the ring, Thai boxers showed their invincibility. After
winning all five bouts in the first semifinal stage on Thursday,
they won another six ties on Friday.

Indonesia has only two boxers left in the final, Bonyx Yusak
Saweho and Albert Papilaya. Other finalists will be six from
Malaysia, two from the Philippines and one from Laos. The final
bouts are to be staged on Saturday.

The Indonesian badminton squad is assured of another two golds
after it managed to make all-Indonesian finals in the men's and
mixed doubles. However, the men's singles title will surely go
elsewhere as Ronny Agustinus and Marlev Mainaky failed to
advance.