Ruwiyati slumps to second defeat

Ruwiyati slumps to second defeat

JAKARTA (JP): National champion Ruwiyati of Central Java had
to eat humble pie again after being outpaced by her hometown
rival Hanny Melon, this time in the women's 10,000m, on the third
day of the Indonesia Open Track and Field Championships at the
Senayan Madya stadium yesterday.

One day before, Melon recorded 16 minutes 55.30 to beat
Ruwiyati in the women's 5,000m by a difference of one hundredth
of a second. Yesterday the difference got bigger. Melon clocked
35 minutes 49.53 seconds, Ruwiyati 36:09.63.

"About 10 times she trampled on my heels from behind. That was
painful and made me feel shaky," the diminutive Ruwiyati told The
Jakarta Post.

"This is unusual," noted Ruwiyati's coach, Alwi. "During home
training, she usually clocks around 34 at best and around 35 at
worst."

"I am very, very disappointed," Ruwiyati said. She admitted
that Melon has the speed which she lacks. "She had the advantage
of being right behind me. She could closely watch my moves and
run past me at the right moment," 17-year-old Ruwiyati said.

Melon, on the other hand, proudly said, "I am the number one.
And this is the first time I have taken part in an international
event."

However, the country's best long distance runners can be said
to have no chance of competing at the Dec. 9 to Dec. 17 Southeast
Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

"My name has been marked off of the centralized training
center list because I have refused to train in this stadium,"
Melon said. The 16-year-old prefers to train in her hometown
Salatiga because it is cooler than Jakarta. "I don't like this
stadium (Senayan Madya). I don't care if I'm not included in the
SEA Games team. What is important for me is that I am the best in
Indonesia."

Ruwiyati is also excluded from the centralized training
center. "They (officials of the Indonesian Track and Field
Association) say she is too small and hypothesize that she does
not grow well because of overtraining," Alwi said.

"This is of course unfair. Her parents are also short and
small. How can they expect her to grow taller and bigger?" Alwi
said. He added that Ruwiyati came from a farming family in a poor
village in Salatiga. "Ruwiyati's parents hope Ruwiyati can help
them financially. The decision to exclude her from the national
team diminishes the hope," Alwi said.

Thailand yesterday stole the limelight by beating Indonesia in
the women's 4x400m relay. Thailand's team clocked 3 minutes 44.39
seconds, far better than the East Java team which ran 4 minutes
0.14 seconds. (arf)