Veteran Anton serves up hopes for gold

JAKARTA (JP): With the Indonesian Table Tennis Association (PTMSI) targeting three golds in the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei Darussalam this week, table tennis fans are confident veteran Anton Suseno is the player up to the task.

Without detracting from the contributions of his teammates Hadiyudo Prayitno, Muhammad Al Arkam, Deddy Da Costa and Ersan Susanto, much of the country's effort to win three golds in the men's singles, doubles and team events will hinge on Anton's performance.

Yet he is also the player who puts noses out of joint by making his own decisions. Many were shocked when Anton declined to take part in the 1995 Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, due to family commitments.

It took personal persuasion from National Sports Council (KONI) chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar to bring him back to the training center.

Anton, the 1991 and 1993 Games gold medalist who is known for his defensive playing style, is aiming for a hat trick of golds in the biennial event, to be held from Aug. 7 to Aug. 15.

"We still have the chance to win three golds. If we consider our rivals in the Games, then the Vietnamese and Malaysians will give us problems in reaching our goal," he said.

Anton, born in Indramayu, West Java, on Dec. 15, 1971, joined the Wargi Jaya club in his hometown in 1980.

After years of training, Anton was named to the national team and began competing in the SEA Games in 1989.

Anton played for Sweden's Satros club from 1993 to 1995. He competed for about seven months of the year and his hard work resulted in victory in the Rosebum Championships in Sweden.

He also qualified for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He lost to Koji Matsushita of Japan and Andrzej Grubba of Poland, but beat Gideon Ng of Canada. However, he failed to reach the top 16.

Anton was not named to the team for the 1997 Games here because of his poor form compared to juniors Ersan and Deddy.

His exclusion from the team appeared to motivate him to climb back to the top. He played for the NHI club of Bandung in national tournaments.

With Anton on the team, Indonesia's chances of reaching its medal target are enhanced, even with the presence of Chinese-born players on the squads from Singapore and Malaysia.

Anton's superlative defensive skills will team up with the offensive play of Hadiyudo and Al Arkam. The combination of the three may bring the country a cache of gold.

His teammates acknowledge Anton's special role on the team. Hadiyudo said his presence gave the players extra motivation to meet and exceed expectations. (yan)