RI squad bags 10 golds to keep third place
RI squad bags 10 golds to keep third place
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi
Indonesia maintained its third-place overall standing with 36
gold medals behind host Vietnam with 86 golds and Thailand with
61 golds on the sixth day of the 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA)
Games.
The newly claimed 10 golds were received by national athletes
on the day President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband, Taufik
Kiemas, arrived with a 40-strong entourage.
Taufik had promised earlier to give cash bonuses of between
US$250 and $1,000 to SEA Games medalists. As in previous years,
the National Sports Council (KONI) will also give cash bonuses of
Rp 30 million (US$3,529) to gold medalists.
On the closing day for aquatics events, Indonesian athletes
pocketed two golds thanks to Shenny Ratna Amelia and Herliani
Sukmahati, who dove for the gold and scored 273.18 points in the
women's 10-meter synchronized platform.
Donny B. Utomo edged out a more experienced Ratapong
Sirisanont of Thailand and compatriot Albert Sutanto to win the
men's 200m butterfly for the sole gold from the swimming event.
The event was a gold mine for Thailand, which carted home 15
of 41 golds at stake, followed by Malaysia and Singapore with
nine golds each.
Indonesia took two golds each in weight lifting and track-and-
fields, and one each in beach volleyball and team tennis.
Mighty Indonesians Erwin Abdullah and Misdan Yunip lifted to
victory at Soc Son Competition Hall with their unmatched
strength.
Erwin won the men's 77-kilogram weight class with a total lift
of 322.5kg, while Misdan brushed aside Thailand's Suriya
Dattuyawat and Myanmar's Aung Aung Htoo to win the 69kg class
with a total lift of 310kg.
Supriati Sutono and Yurita Ariani emerged as winners in track-
and-field by finishing first in the women's 5,000m and hammer
throw, respectively.
Supriati, who just had a baby last year, retained her title
with 16:9.39, only 0.46 seconds under the SEA Games record she
clocked in 2001.
Hurler Yurita, who took the silver two years ago, threw 49.79m
for the gold.
Benny Elo Pere joined the Indonesia's gold-winning athletes
following his triumph in the 75kg weight class in the boxing
ring, while Derry Darmansyah collected a gold on the tae kwon do
mat in the bantam weight division.