West Java wows on tae kwon do nationals' second day

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

West Java grabbed the lead from defending champion Central Java on Tuesday in the 5th LG National Tae kwon do championship, with the two teams set to vie for all-round medal honors in Wednesday's crucial final bouts.

With one gold and three silvers on Monday, West Java dominated day two with victories by all three of its finalists at the new national tae kwon do center in Cibubur, East Jakarta.

Its four golds and three silver medals put it atop the medal standings.

After a haul of three golds on Monday, Central Java took one gold and two silvers, for a total of four golds and two silvers.

Jakarta won one gold on the second day to reach third with a total of two golds.

Women's bantamweight Siska Permatasari got West Java's medal campaign off to a great start by defeating Emilia A of South Sulawesi 9-6 in the final.

Her victory was matched by veteran Voppy Trismawanti in the lightweight class, who thrashed Anastasia Renasari of Yogyakarta 8-2, and men's welterweight fighter Sapto Prapto, who brushed aside Jakarta's Ucok Fransiskus.

"We have yet to win the championship, but our achievements so far reflect our fine development in tae kwon do," West Java coach Agus Sumarno said.

Despite having three finalists on Tuesday, Central Java's lone gold was contributed by lightweight fighter Muhammad Abubakar, who was untroubled in trouncing Jakarta's Januardo Sinaga 5-1.

"Our performance was OK although we actually targeted two golds today. Unfortunately, Dereck Afsa lost in the heavyweight class to Teguh Waskito of Jakarta 5-9," Central Java head coach Bambang Widjanarko said.

He acknowledged that the nationals had evolved into a contest between the two provinces, with the rest of the teams seeking secondary places.

"Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be challenging for us and West Java in determining the champion."

Aside from provinces from Java, Lampung won one gold from Martina Navra T in the women's featherweight class.

On Wednesday, the championship will feature the men's and women's fin, men's featherweight and women's welterweight classes, with the finals starting at 6:30 p.m.