RI kayakers extend to shine in icy cold
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi
With a number of high-ranking national sports officials in attendance in the stands, Indonesia's rowers turned out more gold medal performances at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games here on Thursday.
Indonesia won four of eight gold medals on offer with Sarce Aronggear romping home with a double victory in the canoeing finals on the West Lake, where most of the athletes fell victim to the lake's hard-blowing, chilly wind.
Rivals Vietnam and Myanmar took two golds apiece.
Sarce won the female singles' 500-meter kayak before winning the doubles with Suhartati. It was her third gold overall, after Tuesday's win.
Sayadin also emerged as a triple gold medalist with a win in the men's doubles 500m kayak with his partner La Ode Hadi.
Roinadi and Asnawir clinched Indonesia's fourth gold of the day with victory in the men's doubles 500m canoe to give the team an 12 gold overall. The rowing competition, which provides a total of 27 gold medals, will enter the final matches in the traditional boat races four gold medals on offer.
Taufik Kiemas and his entourage, which arrived on Wednesday, watched Thursday's races along with National Sports Council (KONI) Chairman Agum Gumelar and other team officials led by chef-de-mission Djoko Pramono.
Sarce led from wire to wire and finished with a time 2:26.79 seconds, almost two seconds ahead of silver medalist Doan Thi Cach of Vietnam in 2:28.56 and bronze medal time of 2:39.00.
With Suhartati, Sarce beat their opponents in the doubles 500m event in 2:25.64 followed by Khin Mar Thin and Thin Thin Oo of Myanmar in 2:29.69 and Doan Thi Cach and Nguyen Thi Loan of Vietnam in 2:30.64.
The Indonesian pair attributed their victory partly to their knowledge of the course from the previous races.
"On Tuesday, we would have been beaten if they had not lost balance in the final meters. We were more alert today," Sarce said.
Suhartati, who plans to retire after these Games due to her family commitments, said that as soon as they pulled in front they switched to longer strokes with a constant speed, instead of short strokes with a risk of being capsized, to keep the boat steady on the rough water.
"The water was unusually rough today. The wind has been blowing hard and the waves are higher than they were in the previous days. We were careful in the way we rowed today," she said.
In the other races Indonesia had to be content with second place finishes.
While he was successful with Sayadin in the doubles, La Ode Hadi had to be content with the silver in the men's singles' 500m kayak.
Indonesia also grabbed silver in the women's fours 500m kayak final which was marred by the collapse of three Vietnamese rowers and an Indonesian fainted, -- likely due to the onset of hypothermia -- in the very cold, windy conditions.
In the race, the Vietnamese boat capsized early in the race and a late-arriving rescue craft caused three of the four rowers faint. One of the victims had to be admitted to a nearby hospital's intensive care unit.
Siti Aminah was the Indonesian victim of the unfriendly weather at the end of the race. "My legs were shivering uncontrollably," she said after she had regained her composure.