RI kayakers extend to shine in icy cold
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.