RI confirmed Games winner

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia regained the overall SEA Games medal title yesterday but the gold it coveted most, in men's soccer, slipped through its grasp in an agonizing penalty shootout.

Success did come in badminton, pencak silat, the indoor and beach volleyball courts, and softball.

It ended yesterday with 189 golds, 106 more than its nearest rival Thailand. Only 10 events remain to be decided today, the final day of competition.

Four hours after the final medal is presented, the 19th SEA Games will close in a ceremony highlighted by two East Javanese dances, dangdut music and a fireworks display.

The soccer final ended 1-1 and 30 minutes of extra time failed to produce any further goals. In the ensuing penalty shootout all Thailand's marksmen found the back of the net but for Indonesia Ronny Wabia and Uston Nawabi blasted theirs high and wide, handing the title to the defending champion.

The start of the second half was delayed by 45 minutes as security forces battled with fans who, frustrated by Indonesia being 1-0 down, ripped down fences, threw rocks and water bottles onto the pitch and broke out of the stands.

SEA Games supremo Wismoyo Arismunandar went down out of the VIP stand at half time, walked around the track surrounding the pitch and tried to calm the fans.

Indonesia's greatest success yesterday came in the badminton hall, where it swept all five individual golds. The only final that was not an all-Indonesian affair was the men's singles, where Hariyanto Arbi, showing his most consistent form of the Games destroyed Malaysia's Ong Ewe Hock 15-3, 15-3.

The men's doubles saw world champions Chandra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto defeat Olympic champions Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky 15-4, 15-17, 15-11.

The other winners were Mia Audina in the women's singles. Eliza and Zelin in the women's doubles, and Trikus Haryanto and Minarti Timur in the mixed doubles.

Indonesia's most profitable sport yesterday was pencak silat where it won 11 of the 14 classes contested, with only three Vietnamese women preventing a clean sweep. The host also took the six non-fighting events.

Two of the most impressive victors were Samiaji in the men's 45kg and below division and Zulfan in the men's 90kg and below class.

More than 10,000 screaming supporters packed into the Istora Senayan indoor stadium to see Indonesia's men's volleyball team redeem itself after ignominious failure in the Chiang Mai SEA Games two years ago. After a nervy first two games, it confidently dispatched defending champion Thailand 15-13, 10-15, 15-7, 15-7.

Indonesia's women were unable to emulate their male counterparts; they were humiliated 4-15, 3-15, 1-15 by Thailand.

Indonesians Agus Salim and Irilkhyn Sofanna took the first ever SEA Games beach volleyball title, beating Malaysians M. Nasirudin M. Kashim and Lee Kok Peng 12-3, 12-4 in 55 minutes.

This time the nation's women were able to match the men. Ini Putu Timy and Engel Berta Kaize defeated Manatsananpangka and Kamoltip Kulna 12-4, 12-9.

In the other debuting event, mountain biking, Indonesia also struck gold. Ferry Sonic beat compatriot Sugianto in the cross country event. Placido Valdez of the Philippines took the bronze.

For the second day running Indonesia left the track almost empty-handed. It was once again left to Supriati to spare the host's blushes and she did so in style, taking the women's 1,500 meters in 4:22.25. It was her third gold and third SEA Games record of the meet.

Thailand and Malaysia once again ruled the roost, with the former taking four golds and the latter three.

Indonesia took another gold in tennis yesterday when Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo beat Thai brothers Paradorn and Naratorn Srichaphans 6-3, 6-3. It took the host's tennis tally to five of the seven golds on offer.

The only two it did not win were the men's singles, where Paradorn beat the Philippines' Joseph Lizardo 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 and the mixed doubles where Naratorn teamed up with losing women's doubles finalist Benjamas Sangaram to beat On Tan Luc and Nguyen Thi Kim Trang of Vietnam 6-3, 6-4. (team)