Thai swimmers rule local c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Thai swimmers dominated day one of the 24th Southeast Asia inter-club age group swimming championships yesterday as 27 clubs battled for the Sanya Samakki Challenge Cup.

Thai clubs won nine gold medals from 16 events at the Pelita Harapan school pool in Karawaci, Tangerang.

Indonesia's second-string swimmers, who are training for the SEA Games here in October, failed to fend off the Thais.

Silvy Triana of the Tirta Taruna club in Jakarta clocked 1:09.67 to win a gold medal in the 100 meters backstroke girls 15 to 17 years.

Evelyn Surya of the Tirta Baruna club, Cirebon, West Java, won the silver medal in 1:10.19 and Lily Ikkawati of the Suryanaga club took the bronze in 1:11.50.

Silvy also won a silver in the 200m freestyle girls 15 to 17 years in 2:11.41. Ravee In-Porn-Udom of the defending champion team Boonrawd Brewery Sports Club Bangkok won the gold in 2:08.08. Teammate Chonthon Vorathamrong grabbed the bronze in 2:12.86.

National second-string swimmer Donny B Utomo of the Bina Taruna club Purwokerto, Central Jakarta, won a bronze in the 200m freestyle boys 15 to 17 years in 2:00.60.

The gold went to Chia T-Jian of the Chinese Swimming Club Singapore who produced 1:58.92 and Patanyu Vimsomruay won the silver with 1:59.40.

Three meet records were broken yesterday.

Christel Bouvron of the People's Association Youth Swimming Club Penang, Malaysia, broke the 200m freestyle girls 11 to 12 years record in 2:10.88, two seconds faster than the previous record by Kamolchanol Khantidilokvongsa of the Boonward Brewery in 1996.

Teammates Charkaew Choompol took the silver in 2:14.00 and Pornrada Srisawat won the bronze in 2:15.51.

Gary Tan of the Chinese Swimming Club Singapore broke the 100m backstroke boys 13 to 14 years record in 1:01.82, replacing the 1:02.21 record set in 1994 by Pathanyu Vimsomruay of the Boonward Brewery club.

Ng Cheng Kang of the Singapore Swimming Club won the silver in 1:06.17 and Adi P Ristanto of the Cucut club, Jakarta, took the bronze in 1:09.38.

Vimsomruay swam 1:00.37 to break the 100m backstroke boys 15 to 17 years record, 0.47 seconds faster than the time set in 1992 by Alvin Tan of the Chinese Swimming Club Singapore.

Clubs from seven countries are competing at the championships, opened by State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman. (yan)