W. Java dominates taekwondo c'ships by winning three golds
W. Java dominates taekwondo c'ships by winning three golds
JAKARTA (JP): Defending champion West Java dominated the
second day of the second LG Cup Taekwondo National Championships
by grabbing three golds on Friday at the Bung Karno tennis indoor
stadium, leaving the fourth to Central Sulawesi.
West Java collected its first gold medal through Shanti
fighting in women's over 72 kilogram weight category on Thursday
and led Friday's medal tally with four golds and one silver.
Fighting in the men's under 72 kilo lightweight class, West
Java's Rusandi managed to beat Surabaya 1999 National Games (PON)
champion Alfons Lung of East Kalimantan in their final match.
His victory was followed up by teammate newcomer Onyas who
defeated national athlete Rahel Daring, also from East
Kalimantan, 2-0 in the women's under 59 kilo featherweight class
final.
West Java's third gold medal was contributed by Voppy T. in
the women's under 63 kilo light weight class final match after
outclassing her arch rival Eva Susanti from Jakarta 11-4.
West Java's hope for a fourth gold medal was shattered when
Taufik had to withdraw from his men's under 63 kilo featherweight
class final match against Carless Assa of Central Sulawesi.
"My toes were stuck between the mattresses and got cramped. I
couldn't continue the fight," Taufik told reporters as quoted by
Antara news agency.
Meanwhile, Carless said he did not expect to win the match.
"It's just sheer luck. I only prepared myself for two weeks
prior to the tournament," he said.
Sheer luck or not, he defeated PON champion Muhammad Kirom of
East Java with a powerful kick sending that resulted in a
knockout.
The Indonesian Taekwondo Association (TI) West Java chapter
chairman, Ragam Santika, said he was satisfied with his team's
results.
"We didn't set an excessive target. Currently the strength is
evenly distributed. Those from Central Java, East Java, Jakarta
and Yogyakarta are strong opponents," he said.
"We use the championships as a training ground for our young
fighters. Almost 70 percent of our team are young fighters."
East Java taekwondoins, who grabbed two golds on Thursday,
failed to even reach any of Friday's finals.
The championships will continue with the men's fin, women's
fin, men's middle, and women's middle weight classes on Saturday.
(nvn)