Richard aims to finish third in Pusan
JAKARTA (JP): Veteran Indonesian swimmer Richard Sam Bera is aiming to finish third in both the individual and team events at the Asian Championships in Pusan, South Korea, later this month.
Richard told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the championships would not serve as a preparation for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September, but rather his goal would be to fulfill the Indonesian Swimming Federation (PRSI) target of reaching the top five in individual events.
"I think it's in accordance with PRSI's target of top 5 in individual events. While for the relay team, it will be an uphill battle. We are capable of finishing in the top three but looking at how things stand now, it will be a daunting task," he said.
"This is not a tryout anymore but this will be the target. I'm carrying with me the momentum that I have already established during my preparations for World Cup Short-Course events. Since the Asian Championships will be held in a long-course set up, I immediately switched my training to a long-course pool right after the World Championships."
Richard achieved a personal best in his favorite discipline, the 100 meters freestyle, of 50.30 seconds in the World Cup Short-Course meet in Berlin. The time was 0.73 seconds faster than the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games record made by the 29-year- old Indonesian in Brunei Darussalam last year.
PRSI will send male swimmers Richard, Wisnu Wardhana, twins Felix and Albert Christiadi Sutanto and Akbar Nasution and females Elsa Manora Nasution and Siripiya Sutanto to the championships from March 29 to April 2.
All swimmers have qualified for the Olympics for the time limit B.
The federation will also send divers Shenny Ratna Amelia (women's platform), Eka Purnama Indah (women's springboard), Muhammad Nasrullah (men's platform) and Sukran Jamjami (men's springboard).
Lenny Puspita and Tyas Titisari will compete in the synchronized swimming at the championships as a part of the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
PRSI has reminded its swimmers to finish in the top five in their respective individual disciplines and in the top three in team events.
"I think the criteria set out by PRSI are reasonable enough. We don't have to be the Asian champions to win Olympics tickets, but we must fulfill the targets," Richard said.
PRSI's head of swimming technical commission, Gerald HP Item, hoped on Monday the federation would still send those athletes to the Olympics despite their results in the championships.
"This is the first time Indonesia has qualified five swimmers to the Olympics. Previously our athletes could only compete by using wild cards," he said.
"They may only have a slight chance of winning an Olympics medal but at least their juniors can follow their steps and do better in the future."
Sharing the same idea, Richard, also a deputy of the swimming technical commission, said swimming was one of other sports which were too afraid to send juniors to compete in international events.
"We need not be afraid of sending our second team out to big events such as world championships and let them learn from the experience. That's how they will develop. Right now we are too afraid to send them, partly because of lack of funds and also due to an impatient feeling to see good results." (yan)