RI to field 36 in track and field meet

RI to field 36 in track and field meet

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has selected 36 boys and girls to line
up the national team for the Milo ASEAN School track and field
championships here this weekend.

Spokesperson of the Indonesian Amateur Track and Field
Association, Nia Sarinastiti Regar, said yesterday that all the
athletes were scouted during the just concluded national junior
and school competition.

The central Javanese, overall winners in the national meet,
dominated the roster with 10 athletes. Runner-up Irian Jaya,
however, was less fortunate. Although it won five golds and four
silvers, only its 100-meter hurdles runner Santi Nelwan received
an invitation for international duty.

Jakarta, although bagging only a gold and six silvers, was
granted the second biggest quota after Central Java with five
athletes.

The track and field body had announced earlier that the
winners and runners-up in the national championships would
qualify for the ASEAN competition.

Nia said that all but one of the Irianese received marching
orders from the national team's selectors because they were no
longer school students. "These are high school graduates, fit for
junior events, not school competitions," she explained.

The track and field body also suggested yesterday that the
national selectors give Yon Daryono and Bambang Siswanto from
Central Java coaching jobs in the national team. Among the
country's most successful coaches, they demanded the withdrawal
of their athletes from the national team on Saturday, after
learning that they had missed out and wouldn't make it onto the
team.

"We need these two coaches because their athletes are
potential winners in the ASEAN meet," Nia said. (amd)