Top table tennis player keen to palay in Atlanta Olympic Games

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top table tennis player Anton Suseno realizes that for him to win an Olympic medal is virtually impossible. Yet he remains very hopeful that the National Sports Council (KONI) will send him to the Atlanta Olympic Games which run from July 19 to Aug. 4.

"I know it would be very difficult to reach the semifinals in Atlanta. At best, I might be able to finish among the top eight or the top 16," Anton told The Jakarta Post by phone yesterday.

KONI has been instructed by President Soeharto to send only athletes who have the potential to earn at least a bronze medal at the Olympics. Unlike badminton, table tennis is not Indonesia's strong point. Even on the Asian level, with China being the sport's world powerhouse, Indonesian table tennis players are virtually nobodies. Hence, it is very unlikely that KONI will send Suseno to Atlanta. Thus far, Indonesia has won Olympic berths in boxing, badminton, beach volleyball, archery and tennis. But KONI is yet to decide which athletes from which sports are worth sending to Atlanta.

Late last month, however, Anton and Indonesia's top female table tennis player Rossy Pratiwi Dipoyanti each won an Olympic berth for Indonesia. They won the berths in the last Olympic table tennis qualifying tournament for Asian players in Chiba, Japan, which were held from March 26 to March 28.

Referring to his win of an Olympic berth in Chiba, Anton said, "I am very, very hopeful that I will be sent (to Atlanta)." He said his dream might come true because the Indonesian Table Tennis Association has just appointed a new chief, President Soeharto's daughter Titik Prabowo.

But Anton quickly added that it would not bother him if he is not sent to Atlanta. "For me, it is important that, just by winning the berth I have achieved something," he said.

In Chiba, Anton and Rossy finished ninth after some adjustments were made to ensure that no country won more than three Olympic places. Anton actually finished 14th. Since China and South Korea won five berths, they each had to give up two seats. This ruling jacked up Anton's position to 10th. Then Japan had one berth in excess. Thus, Anton's final position was ninth.

The ninth position enabled both Anton and Rossy to take the sole berth for each gender allocated to Southeast Asia. The Chiba qualifying tournaments offered a total of 10 tickets, seven for East and Central Asia, one for Southeast Asia, one for South Asia and one for West Asia. The Atlanta Olympics offers 52 berths for each gender. Thirty-two of the 104 berths go to the world's top 32, 20 to Asia, 40 to Europe, four to Africa, four to New Zealand, Australia and Oceania, and four to the American continent. (arf)