SEA Games medal race officially opens today
SEA Games medal race officially opens today
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi
The battle for gold medal honors begins in earnest Friday with
the formal opening of the 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.
However, after an impressive start in the pre-opening ceremony
competition, Indonesia failed to add another medal to its
collection on Thursday, which offered two golds in gymnastics and
archery.
Kuswantoro took to the archery field as Indonesia's best hope
only to tumble in the quarterfinals. He failed to take up where
his Indonesian teammate Rina Puspita Dewi left off. Rina earned
Indonesia's 878-strong contingent's first medal at the regional
sporting event, which is being staged in Vietnam for the first
time.
Jonathan Sianturi's competition experience proved not enough
to set his young team up as a strong medal contender. The Thai
team triumphed over Malaysia and the Philippines while Indonesia
was left in fourth place.
The tournament is not officially open yet, but Indonesia's
hopes for its first soccer gold medal since 1991 appear doomed
after Bambang Pamungkas and his teammates were outsmarted 0-1 by
Vietnam at the My Dinh Stadium.
Indonesia could still qualify for the next round provided it
beats Thailand in the final match in Group A.
The Games also saw water polo, rowing and boxing events on
Thursday. Goals were in abundance as Indonesia's water polo team
was held to a 12-12 draw by the Philippines at the Aquatics
Center, giving it an edge for medal contention after scoring two
wins and one loss.
The qualifying competition for rowing began at the West Lake
north of Hanoi. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City saw only boxing as
the first competition held out of 11 sports to be staged in the
city, located 1,300 kilometers south of Hanoi.
As of 11 p.m. six categories in the boxing had been staged.
Piter Samuel was the only Indonesian casualty. Playing in the 45
kilogram category, Piter was defeated by Vongpakhoun Sikham of
Laos. The other five Indonesians -- Hermensen Ballo (51kg),
Marwan Muling (60kg), Wilem Papilaya (64kg), Regues Christoper
(69kg) and Benny Elo Pere (75kg) -- won their quarterfinal bouts.
After a week of pre-opening ceremony competition, regional
heavyweights Malaysia and Thailand embark on their campaigns to
repeat their high-flying performances two years ago in Kuala
Lumpur.
Then, Malaysia took top spot on the gold medal table snaring
111 golds to Thailand's 103 and it is expected to be a close race
again with hosts Vietnam and Indonesia chasing hard on their
heels.
Fledgling nation East Timor makes its SEA Games debut, but
gaining experience in the international sporting arena is more
likely to top the agenda of its 22-member squad than the medal
hunt.
In total, more than 5,000 athletes and coaches from 11
countries are taking part, many of whom will appear in Friday
evening's opening ceremony at My Dinh stadium.
Twenty-two Vietnamese pop stars will be on hand there to sing
them and 40,000 spectators into a frenzy, while parachutists
bearing the flags of the participating countries are scheduled to
drop in on the proceedings.
According to official figures, Vietnam has spent US$350
million in preparation for its turn in the regional sports
spotlight, including building 36 stadiums, arenas and training
centers, and upgrading old facilities.
Medal standing after pre-opening competition on Thursday
1. Malaysia 1 2 0 3
2. Indonesia 1 0 1 2
3. Thailand 1 0 0 1
4. Singapore 0 1 0 1
5. Philippines 0 0 2 2
6. East Timor 0 0 0 0
7. Vietnam 0 0 0 0
8. Laos 0 0 0 0
9. Myanmar 0 0 0 0
10. Brunei 0 0 0 0
11. Cambodia 0 0 0 0