RI bodybuilder wins Asian title

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian bodybuilder I Gusti Agung Rai Kusumayudha won the seventh Pro-Am Classic Bodybuilding Championship in Macao on Sunday and pocketed US$4,000.

Kusumayudha, or Ade Rai as his close friends call him, was also named the most improved bodybuilder of the championship, the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association said yesterday.

The runner-up was Kim Jun-ho of South Korea, followed by Augustine Lee of Singapore. Toshio Konuma of Japan and Nazarudin Saladin of Singapore finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Paul Chua, secretary-general of the Asian Bodybuilding Federation, said that performancewise, Ade deserves to win the gold medal in the 14th Southeast Asian Games here next year.

A total of 19 professional and amateur bodybuilders from nine countries -- Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao, the Philippines and Indonesia -- took part in the championship. (arf)