Pribadi wins in Japan Open

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Dasantyo Pribadi took the gold medal in the welterweight division after beating his South Korean opponent in the final of the men's Japan Open international tae kwondo championships in Osaka, Japan.

Indonesia sent a team of four and their South Korean coach, Oh Il-nam, to the prestigious invitational meet as Japan invited only a few select countries such as South Korea, Chinese Taipei, the United States, Canada and Italy. Host Japan fielded two of its best teams in the event held late last month.

It was the second tryout of the Indonesian Taekwondo Association, which is preparing 19 athletes for the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in December. Its first outing was the Vietnam Open, from July 21 to July 23, in which Indonesia won two gold, three silver and five bronze medals, said coach Bambang Wijanarko yesterday. (arf)