Weightlifters dominate best athlete awards
Weightlifters dominate best athlete awards
JAKARTA (JP): Weightlifters ended the badminton squad's long-
held grip on the best national athletes contest by clinching four
awards yesterday.
A panel of selectors comprising sports figures and journalists
named world champion Winarni the best female athlete of the year,
edging out past winner and the country's best tennis player ever
Yayuk Basuki, fellow lifter Patmawati, top cyclist Nurhayati, and
middle and long-distance runner Supriyati Sutono.
Winarni won two golds with record-breaking marks in the 50-
kilogram division of the World Weightlifting Championships in
Chiang Mai, Thailand, last December.
Badminton players, who took four awards in last year's
contest, got a consolation as world doubles champions Chandra
Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto shared the best male athlete award.
Weightlifting coach Imron Rosidi collected the best coach of
the year trophy, beating colleague Harry Wibowo, badminton
coaches Christian Hadinata and Atik Jauhari and cycling trainers
Wahyudi and Endang Subagyo.
Sri Indriyani was another athlete from the muscular sport to
go home a winner. The female lifter, who triumphed in the 46kg
category of the 19th Southeast Asian Games here in a world-
equaling lift, outshone junior chess player Taufik Halai, Formula
3 driver Ananda Mikola, Fed Cup member Wukirasih Sawondari and
professional boxer Andrian Kaspari in the most promising athlete
category.
The late Soesilo Soedarman completed weightlifting's haul with
the best prime mover tag, thanks to his successful tenure as the
chairman of the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and
Bodybuilding Association.
The national dragon boat team was voted the best men's team,
eclipsing the men's bridge team which won the Far East Bridge
Federation championship title last year, the volleyball team, the
tennis team and the softball team.
The best women's team went to the national tennis team which,
despite the absence of regular backbone Yayuk, won the women's
team gold medal in the SEA Games.
State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Agung Laksono
attended the awards presentation organized by the Jakarta
association of sports journalists yesterday.
The association first gave out the awards in 1971. (lnt)