Ruwiyati eyes a hat-trick at int'l marathon c'ships

Ruwiyati eyes a hat-trick at int'l marathon c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Ruwiyati may be set to do a hat-trick in the international marathon championships in Malang, East Java, scheduled for Apr. 14, according to her coach Alwi Mugiyanti.

Alwi was quoted by Antara as saying in Salatiga, Central Java, on Saturday that he hoped his charge would not just win the competition but also that she would improve her time.

Ruwiyati's time last year was two hours, 46 minutes and 47 seconds. The diminutive 19-year-old has won the annual competition twice running, in 1994 and last year.

Alwi said the marathon meet in Malang should serve as a warm- up for Ruwiyati before a marathon championship in Japan, which is scheduled on May 26.

Ruwiyati's performance in the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last year, qualifies her for an Olympic berth in Atlanta but her age, 19, does not. Only players above 20 are eligible to compete in the Olympic Games as stipulated by the International Ameteur Athletics Federation.

Ruwiyati's time in Chiang Mai was two hours, 34 minutes and 29 seconds. Prescribed time to qualify for the Atlanta Olympic Games is two hours and 35 minutes.

According to Alwi, Ruwiyati was not too disappointed with the situation, adding that she has been training hard to improve her performance for the Malang marathon.

Ruwiyati lives and trains in the mountain resort of Kopeng in Salatiga, Central Java. She will be fielded in the Malang meet together with her training-mates Karminah, Dini, Nelis Herlinda and Haryanti. (arf)