Tiolina sees gold in Games debut

Tiolina sees gold in Games debut

JAKARTA (JP): Being the youngest member of Indonesia's
traditional boat racing crew for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA)
Games does not make Tiolina Ceria feel inferior.

On the contrary, she is confident she can impress her seniors
and coaches by helping her team win the gold in her international
debut.

"I am sure that my team can win a gold," she said.

Born on July 25, 1981, in Kuala Kapuas, Central Kalimantan,
Tiolina has been interested in traditional boat racing since
seeing people row their small boats across marshes to travel from
city to city.

Rowing, she said, was one of the most popular sports in her
hometown.

"I love sports. I used to row on Kereng Bangkirai River in my
hometown. When I was very young, I liked to watch the rowers
practice at a local training center in my town.

"I wanted to join the training center someday. In 1996 there
was a rower selection at the Palangkaraya training center and I
was selected," she said.

While a member of the training center, she participated in the
two-person and four-person kayak events.

Tiolina's grandparents were sailors, but her parents did not
take to the water. Her father Markus N. Bakar prefers table
tennis, while her mother Yuniarsih is a badminton fan.

She said her parents gave her their blessings to compete in
the Games.

"I always call them whenever I miss them. I ask for their
blessing and they say 'keep on fighting,'" she said.

Tiolina, the second of five children, recently graduated from
state senior high school SMU 1 Palangkaraya last May. She said
she would not pursue athletics as her sole career.

She hopes someday to become a doctor. She said her two
brothers died when they were infants.

"My mother was assisted by a midwife when she delivered my
brothers," she said.

The experience has apparently inspired Tiolina to seek a
career in medicine. In high school, she concentrated her studies
on biology.

"I want to be a doctor. On the other hand, I also want to be a
professional athlete. I think I can manage both careers." (ivy)