Supriati Sutono runs the distance for gold

JAKARTA (JP): "My heart started to pound when she passed me, but I kept calm and remained firm," Supriati Sutono said in recounting the final lap of the 5,000 meters yesterday.

"I took a deep breath, put my head down and just went ahead," she said of her final push to overtake arch rival Yu Fang Yuan of Malaysia.

Her determination brought her gold and a new SEA Games record of 16:11.6.

She shaved more than half a minute off the old mark of 16:42.31, which was set a decade ago by Myanmar's Khin Khin Htwe during the XIV SEA Games exactly at the same track.

The 2,000 spectators in the Madya Senayan Stadium cheered her all the way on the 13-lap race. She set a blistering pace from the gunshot, and only Yuan could keep up with her.

But an audible sigh was heard from the stands when Yuan edged past as the bell sounded for the final 400 meters.

A rejuvenated Supriati increased her pace and set off to catch the Malaysian. Coming out of the final turn, there was no doubt of the winner.

"I'm very proud, I have trained very hard for the past year for this," the 26-year-old Army sergeant said after her win.

The Indonesian athletics team underwent intensive training at the Pengalengan tea plantation in West Java in preparation for the Games.

At the site located 1,700 meters above sea level, the athletes were shielded from outside distractions and focused on being the fastest, jumping the highest and throwing the farthest.

Supriati admitted the training was sometimes lonely .

"We were far from everything, including family and boyfriends," she remarked, confiding that her boyfriend is a member of the Armed Forces.

Supriati began her athletic career in the mid 1980s in the long distance walk. In 1988, she switched to middle distance run after a disappointing finish during the Junior Walking Competition in Singapore.

Her times gradually improved. She distinguished herself among the elite of Indonesian middle distance runners in 1996 when she grabbed two golds in the National Games.

Last August, she set national records in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.

Before her race yesterday, the native of Cilacap, Central Java, had identified Yuan as her main competition. "I knew that she was very strong and that I had to beat her."

In the end, Supriati not only outran her rival, but also carved her name in the record books. (04/mds)