Peter crowned king of judo's 66kg class

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Mandaue City, the Philippines

Peter Taslim followed in the footsteps of compatriot Sri Endang Lestari Nugrohowati by taking first place at the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games judo venue in the 66-kilogram weight class.

Peter defeated Thailand's Bodan Panjatbutra in the final with an ippon move. The Indonesian judo team now has won two titles at these games.

"I am satisfied with the result. I finally got my revenge on the Thai for my defeat in the 2003 SEA Games final in Vietnam," he said afterward.

Nguyen Quoc Hung of Vietnam and Lucero Aristotle of the Philippines each won bronze medals.

Peter's brother, Yohannes Taslim, also succeeded in getting a place on the podium after finishing in a tie for third. At the judo venue, there are no third-place matches, both semifinal losers get a bronze. Yohannes shared his podium spot with Tranh Minh Nha of Vietnam in the 73-kg division.

Filipino Gilbert Ramirez delighted the crowd with a victory in the final of his weight class over Alexander Ralli of Thailand.

Lutfhi Dyah Anggraeni in the women's 70-kg category and Tina Feriyani at 63 kg gained some valuable international experience, but lost before the medal rounds.

In the women's boxing competition, national boxer Miftah Rivai Lubis lost to the Philippines' Genebert Bandre in the lightweight division.

"The Filipino scored more than 20 points," said Indonesian boxing team manager Jetty R. Pattiasina after the bout. "This is the best we can get, despite other non-technical factors like judges. Our fighters have to prepare themselves better."

According to her, the Indonesian Boxing Association (Pertina) should conduct a thorough evaluation and change the coaches, select better athletes and groom them in a long-term program.

"Only by doing those things will we be able to compete against Southeast Asia's best amateur boxers," she said.