RI wrestling body to groom squad of 40 for SEA Games
RI wrestling body to groom squad of 40 for SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Wrestling Association has named
40 athletes to attend its initial national training program for
the 19th SEA Games here next year.
TH Butar-butar, project officer of the wrestling body, said
after a consultative meeting with the National Sports Council
that all the recruits, who were top performers in the recent
National Games, will undergo an intensive program for 11 months.
"Hopefully the training session will start early in December,"
said Butar-butar.
At the end of the program, the association will cut the number
of wrestlers to 20 for the Games.
Wrestling has been absent from the biennial event since 1987.
It will offer 20 gold medals; 10 in freestyle and 10 in Greco-
Roman classes.
Indonesia made a clean sweep in the 1987 Games here, winning
all the 20 golds at stake.
"It will be a very daunting task to repeat that clean sweep
next year, due to strong opposition from Thailand, the
Philippines and Vietnam," he said.
The association plans to hire two Russian coaches and to send
the wrestlers on an overseas stint in Russia to achieve their
goal, Antara reported.
Indonesia's wrestlers will warm up in the Asia Oceania Cup in
Thailand next June before competing in the SEA Games. But Butar-
butar said that a lack of funds might force the outing to be
canceled.
Judo
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Judo Association picked 18 male and
17 female judokas in 14 weight divisions to be groomed at the
association's biggest dojo in Ciloto, West Java, for six months
prior to next year's Games.
The 35 judokas were gold and silver medalists at the last
National Games.
South Korean coach Kim Sung-ill will run the centralized
training session starting in March.
Indonesia has set its sights on winning seven golds. The
target is down from the nine of 13 golds taken by the Indonesians
in the last Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in December. The
success then was mainly due to the work of Japanese coach Satosi
Takeda.
Kresna Bayu and Aprilia Marzuki will again be Indonesia's
trump cards next year.
Diving
Also yesterday, the Indonesian Swimming Association's diving
section official, Harly Ramayani, said that the country's best
women's diver, Dwi Mariastuti, has yet to respond to a call to
join the national training program.
"As of today we haven't received any confirmation from her,"
Harly said.
Harly said that Dwi had indicated her refusal to don the
national colors in the SEA Games shortly after enjoying gold
medals galore in the recent National Games.
"Dwi said she has been in the national SEA Games team for a
long time," Harly said.
Dwi has been the country's backbone in the Games since 1983,
triumphing either in the platform or springboard events. She came
home for the first time without golds after the Chiang Mai Games.
Temmy Kusuma won Indonesia's sole diving gold at the last SEA
Games. (yan)