Rowers help Indonesia reclaim third place
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi
Indonesian rowers extended their domination in the 22nd Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday to help the national squad back into third place with 26 gold medals and ousting Malaysia to fourth with 23 golds.
Frontrunner Vietnam looks set for its first ever overall championship title with 73 golds followed by Thailand with 37 golds.
Sayadin achieved an outstanding double victory in the men's 1,000-m K1 and men's 1000-m K2, pairing with La Ode Hadi, at the West Lake.
The weightlifting competition augured well for Indonesia after Gustar Junianto, who made a successful comeback after a two-year ban due to a doping scandal, and Jadi Setiadi rose to number one in their respective categories.
At the Hoa Binh province, cyclist Santia Tri Kusuma sprinted to her second gold in the 90 kilometer Mass Start.
She chalked up the best time of two hours 24 minutes and 46.340 seconds to beat Monrudee Chapookam of Thailand who finished in 2:24:47.060 and Nguyen Thi Hoang Oanh of Vietnam who clocked 2:24:47.870.
"I'm really happy that I can contribute two golds to the Indonesian contingent," she said. Her previous victory came from the Criterium event.
Vietnam's bid for a fitting championship gained momentum with its soccer team advancing to the final against Thailand.
The host country held off the late charge by Malaysia to emerge as the 4-3 winner at the My Dinh Stadium while Thailand will be looking to defend the title with a 2-0 victory over Myanmar.
The women's soccer final will pit Vietnam against Myanmar.
Indonesia will likely go home without any golds in the swimming events as it has not won any golds to date although the competition will close on Wednesday.
Thailand had the most golds with three, followed by the Philippines with two and Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore with one each.
Indonesia grabbed its second silver in diving through Husaini Noor and Muhammad Nasrullah in the men's synchronized 10m platform.
SEA Games record holder Richard Sam Bera, who will be 31 on Dec. 19, claimed the bronze by finishing in third place in 23.73 seconds, less than a second under his own record of 23.03 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle.
The lackluster performance by national swimmers and divers has made officials point out a great need for improvement.
"Other countries have shown rapid improvement in swimming with their young talents well-prepared to fill the shoes of their seniors," Abdurrahim, secretary-general of the Indonesian Swimming Association (PRSI), told The Jakarta Post.
National marksman Yoshie Agusta Akbar earned two silvers from the individual and team 10 running target.
In Ho Chi Minh City, tight rivalry with Thailand was imminent in the women's tennis singles and doubles. Indonesia is assured a gold in the mixed doubles with Suwandi and Wynne Prakusya taking on Hendri Susilo Pramono and Maya Rosa in Wednesday's final.