|
|
|
CULTURAL & SOCIAL PROFILE
SPORTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asian Games Results
http://www.indonesiamatters.com/
Posted: 27 Nov 2010 10:22 AM PST
Indonesia places 15th overall in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, bitterly, behind Malaysia but triumphantly ahead
of Singapore, just.
Asiad, the Asian Games, was held from November 12th-27th in Guangzhou and nearby cities in China with 45 countries
participating, 9,700 odd athletes, 42 sports and 476 individual events.
The host nation predictably dominated the medals tally, with 199 gold medals, over 100 golds clear of second placed
Korea.
Plucky Indonesia came in at 15th place in the gold medal tally, with these wins:
* Badminton: Men's Doubles
* Dragon Boat: Men's 1000m Straight Race
* Dragon Boat: Men's 500m Straight Race
* Dragon Boat: Men's 250m Straight Race
And nine silver and thirteen bronze, for a total of 26, putting the country in 14th place in
the overall medal count.
See the full list of Indonesian medalists.
The Men's Doubles Final
Hendra Setiawan & Markis Kido defeating their
Malaysian opponents Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong
in a breath-taking 16-21, 26-24, 21-19
|
|
|
|
Asian Games 2010
Medal Tally
The competitions at the XVI Asian Games (2010) have come to a close, with host country China sweeping a lion's
share of the medals on offer.
The 2010 Asian Games held at Guangzhou, China, has come to an end, after 16 days of fierce competition. Medals
were up for grabs across 42 different disciplines, and 45 Asian nations sent in their best athletes to try and
win as many medals as possible.
China once again showed why they are the powerhouse of sports, not only in Asia but at the Olympics too, with a
sweep of medals over most of the disciplines at the games. They ended up winning nearly half the gold medals on
offer, showcasing their overall strength as a sporty nation. South Korea finished a credible second, ahead of Japan,
who once used to give China a tough fight for the top spot. A point to note is that out of all the medals China
won, almost half were gold. This proves that when they competed, it was for the top spot only. Another noteworthy
mention is Iran. They have come from no where and taken the 4th spot on the medal tally. And it is only a matter
of time before they move up in the Asian Games ahead. China, Korea and Japan, all will now try to shift focus on
the London Olympics in 2012, and will want to win a lot of medals there, competing with the best from all over
the world. For now, let us have a look at the final Asian Games 2010 medal tally.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
Country
|
G
|
S
|
B
|
Total
|
|
1
|
China
|
199
|
119
|
98
|
416
|
|
2
|
South Korea
|
76
|
65
|
91
|
232
|
|
3
|
Japan
|
48
|
74
|
94
|
216
|
|
4
|
Iran
|
20
|
14
|
25
|
59
|
|
5
|
Kazakhstan
|
18
|
23
|
38
|
79
|
|
6
|
India
|
14
|
17
|
33
|
64
|
|
7
|
Chinese Taipei
|
13
|
16
|
38
|
67
|
|
8
|
Uzbekistan
|
11
|
22
|
23
|
56
|
|
9
|
Thailand
|
11
|
9
|
32
|
52
|
|
10
|
Malaysia
|
9
|
18
|
13
|
40
|
|
11
|
Hong Kong
|
8
|
15
|
17
|
40
|
|
12
|
North Korea
|
6
|
10
|
20
|
36
|
|
13
|
Saudi Arabia
|
5
|
3
|
5
|
13
|
|
14
|
Bahrain
|
5
|
0
|
4
|
9
|
|
15
|
Indonesia
|
4
|
9
|
13
|
26
|
|
16
|
Singapore
|
4
|
7
|
6
|
17
|
|
17
|
Kuwait
|
4
|
6
|
1
|
11
|
|
18
|
Qatar
|
4
|
5
|
7
|
16
|
|
19
|
Philippines
|
3
|
4
|
9
|
16
|
|
20
|
Pakistan
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
8
|
|
21
|
Mongolia
|
2
|
5
|
9
|
16
|
|
22
|
Myanmar
|
2
|
5
|
3
|
10
|
|
23
|
Jordan
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
Country
|
G
|
S
|
B
|
Total
|
|
24
|
Vietnam
|
1
|
17
|
15
|
33
|
|
25
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
|
26
|
Macau
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
7
|
|
27
|
Bangladesh
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
28
|
Tajikistan
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
4
|
|
29
|
Syria
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
|
30
|
United Arab Emirates
|
0
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
|
31
|
Afghanistan
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
32
|
Iraq
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
33
|
Lebanon
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
34
|
Laos
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
35
|
Nepal
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
36
|
Oman
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
37
|
Bhutan
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
38
|
Brunei
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
39
|
Cambodia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
40
|
Maldives
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
41
|
Palestine
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
42
|
Sri Lanka
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
43
|
Timor-Leste
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
44
|
Turmenistan
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
45
|
Yemen
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
TOTAL 1 - 45
|
477
|
479
|
621
|
1577
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Officials
‘Satisfied’ With Indonesia's Asian Games Showing
The Jakarta Globe
Diah Lestari & Sandy Pramuji | November 27, 2010
Guangzhou, China. After bittersweet results in badminton, a surprise showing in dragon boat racing and near misses
in a number of the country’s strongest events, the chief of Indonesia’s team said he was “satisfied” with the results
of the Asian Games.
Indonesia remained at 13th place overall in the medal table with four golds, nine silvers and 13 bronzes. That
is a major improvement on the country’s performance at the 2006 Games in Qatar, where it had a 2-4-14 medal haul.
The 13th bronze came on Friday, after the sepak takraw (foot volleyball) pair of Husni Uba and Yudi Purnomo lost
2-0 to Lee Gyu-nam and Lee Jun-ho of South Korea in the men’s doubles semifinal.
Indonesia has a shot at winning two more medals on Saturday, the last day of competition, as Yahuza and Hong Kong
Marathon winner Triyaningsih run in the men’s and women’s marathons, respectively.
The country’s biggest reason to celebrate came from the dragon boat team. The men’s squad swept the 250-meter,
500m and 1,000m races to end up in the history books by becoming the first Indonesian group or individual to win
three gold medals in one Asiad.
The achievement was even more remarkable because the National Sports Committee did not initially see the team as
having medal potential and hesitated at the cost of sending the 22 men’s rowers to China.
Gold medal expectations rested mostly with the badminton team, and yet the shuttlers were staring at a shutout
until Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan won the men’s doubles. Taufik Hidayat was considered a shoo-in, but the two-time
defending champion was felled in the quarterfinals.
Indonesia could easily have had a higher tally of golds if not for some disappointing results in key events.
There were athletes who “performed below par,” said Tono Suratman, Indonesia’s chef de mission. “Several failed
to meet the target we had set for them, but others stepped up to fill the void.”
“But the most important thing is everyone did their best. We met our gold expectations, and we’ve done better than
in Doha 2006. We’re satisfied with that.”
The women’s bowling team, with three of Asia’s top five competitors, managed only a silver, while the weightlifters
couldn’t replicate their Olympic success.
|
|
|
|
Hendra Setiawan and Markis Kido celebrating their victory over Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in
the men’s doubles final on Saturday.(JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya)
A Golden
Sigh of Relief for Markis, Hendra
Diah Lestari | November 21, 2010
Guangzhou, China. For nearly a week, Indonesia had been waiting anxiously to see whether its badminton team
could bring home gold from the Asian Games.
While the men’s and women’s dragon-boat teams have lifted spirts with their outstanding showing in China, it was
the performance of the country’s shuttlers that had most Indonesians on edge.
On Saturday, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan finally ended the nervous anticipation as they clinched gold in the
men’s doubles by beating Malaysians Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong 16-21, 26-24, 21-19 in the final.
By its high standards, Indonesian badminton is going through one of its most frustrating seasons and that rough
patch looked ready to spill over to the Asian Games.
The shuttlers settled for two bronze medals in the team competition, stood no chance in the women’s events and
saw their biggest star, Taufik Hidayat, make an early exit.
That left it up to Markis and Hendra to ensure that Indonesia wasn’t shut out of the gold medals in a sport that
is a national obession here.
But although Markis and Hendra are no strangers to winning on the biggest of stages — having won the world championship
and the Olympic gold medal — this year, the duo couldn’t seem to get their act together. They fared poorly in the
world championships in August and are on the verge of going without a title in the top-tier Super Series.
However, their season turned around in Guangzhou.
Showing supreme physical conditioning and a single-minded focus, Markis and Hendra persevered despite being pushed
to the full three games in all four rounds of competition.
In winning the final, they not only vanquished the defending Asian Games champions in Koo and Tan, they also made
sure Indonesia wouldn’t go home without a title in badminton for the first time since the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing.
“I’m glad we could keep the tradition going,” Markis said. “For me, reaching the podium is one of the most memorable
moments of my career.”
Meanwhile, members of the men’s dragon-boat team are still basking in their unprecedented performance and have
yet to begin thinking about what they will do with the cash incentives they are set to receive.
The men’s team capped its Games with a gold medal in the 250-meter race on Saturday, adding to its titles in the
500m and 1,000m events.
Under a recent ruling by the State Ministry for Youth and Sports Affairs, which says each individual on a gold
medal-winning team at the Games will receive Rp 400 million ($45,000), each of the 22 members of the rowing team
stands to pocket Rp 1.2 billion in cash bonuses.
Achmad Supriadi, one of the men’s rowers, said he wasn’t thinking about the money yet.
“I still don’t know what to do with the money,” he said. “Just winning the gold medals and coming out with the
kind of results we produced, that alone is good enough for now. It’s been a really fantastic experience.”
Another rower, Asnawir, said he wasn’t aware the government was giving out such big incentives. He added that money
wasn’t the reason he competed.
“Our responsibility here is to make our country proud of what we have done,” he said. “We’ve accomplished that
and that’s a reward in itself.”
|
|
|
|
Another gold
medal
Antara, Guangzhou, China | Sat, 11/20/2010 9:52 PM | Sports
Another gold medal: Indonesia's men's doubles pair Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan beats Malaysia's
Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong at Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China Saturday evening. (ANTARA/Andika Wahyu)
Kido/Hendra
claim fourth gold for Indonesia
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/20/2010 9:50 PM | Sports
A | A | A |
Beijing Olympic gold medalists Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan outpowered their arch-rivals Koo Kean Keat and Tan
Boon Heong from Malaysia in the finals of the Asian Games at Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China, to claim gold
medal for Indonesia, on Saturday evening.
Kido/Hendra had to muster out their prowess to outlast the Malaysian duo in a breath-taking 16-21, 26-24, 21-19
game.
The victory narrows the score to 4-5 for the Malaysians. The Malaysians who won gold medal in the previous quadrennial
event in Doha, Qatar in 2006 still take the lead in their international meets.
With the victory, the Indonesian contingent collects four gold medals.
Reader's comment:
Nairdah, On the Road | Sun, 21/11/2010 - 07:11am
For anyone that landed on this story and was not a follower of Indonesian sport - they
would not have a clue what the sport was that was being reported. A common sin of devoted sports writers - they
assume that everyone on the planet is following their game and will identify it by the personalities. There
are several other similar sports articles in this same edition that fail to identify the sport being reported on.
Just drop us a hint of what sports you are reporting on and your journalism rates higher.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indonesia
Raih Emas Pertama
Anggota tim perahu naga Indonesia merayakan perolehan medali emas, setelah menjadi yang tercepat dalam balapan
1000m di ajang Asian Games Guangzhou, Kamis (18/11/2010)
|
|
Dragon
boat gold
The Jakarta Post
18/11/2010
The Indonesian men won the first gold in the dragon boat competition, outrowing the competition over 1,000 meters.
The Indonesians pulled out to win a full two seconds ahead of the team from Myanmar and cross the line Thursday
in 3 minutes, 32.016 seconds. Myanmar was next in 3:34.542 and South Korea 3:37.254.
|
|
|
|
The Indonesian men’s dragon boat rowing team will look t
o complete a hat-trick of gold medals when it competes in the
250m event on Saturday. It has already won gold in the 1,000m
and 500m.(AFP Photo/Philippe Lopez)
Another Gold for Indonesia's
Rowers
Diah Lestari | November 19, 2010
The Jakarta Globe
Once they hit the water, there’s clearly no stopping the Indonesian men’s dragon-boat rowers.
The country picked up its second gold medal of the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, after the national rowers won
the 500-meter straight race on Friday.
They finished with a time of 1 minute and 44.506 seconds to win the event at Zengcheng Lake, just a half-second
ahead of silver medalist Burma.
The rowers’ feat helped soften the blow of Taufik Hidayat’s upset loss in badminton.
Taufik lost 21-15, 21-16 to Park Sung-hwan of South Korea in the quarterfinals at Tianhe Gymnasium, ending his
reign as the two-time Asian Games champion.
If Indonesia hopes to take home gold in badminton this year, it will have to rely on men’s doubles pair Markis
Kido and Hendra Setiawan, who advanced to the final after beating South Korea’s Chung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae,
21-15, 13-21, 21-18.
Markis and Hendra will take on top seeds Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong of Malaysia in the final on Saturday.
Koo and Tan thwarted an all-Indonesia final when they beat Muhammad Ahsan and Alvent Yulianto Chandra, 21-19, 21-16,
in the semifinals.
Ahsan and Alvent had to settle for the bronze.
While the shuttlers have had a disappointing Games, the rowers have exceeded expectations.
They have a total of four medals overall, two coming from the men’s side by way of their victories in the 1,000m
and 500m events, and two more from the women’s team, which bagged the silver in the same distances.
China rounded out the podium in the men’s 500m race, while China won the gold and Thailand took home the bronze
in the women’s 500m.
“It’s beyond what we had originally hoped for,” Indonesia’s national dragon-boat rowing team manager, Young Mardinal
Djamaludin, said on Friday.
“Burma was really the dominant team in the 500 meters. It had beaten us in previous events, although we finished
a close second each time.”
Mardinal said all 22 members of the men’s rowing team were “in perfect form,” but added that it was still a struggle
coming off Thursday’s draining race.
There’s no time for rest, though, as the men’s squad is set to compete in one more event, the 250m race on Saturday.
A third gold there would give the rowers the distinction of becoming the first team or individual from Indonesia
to win a hat-trick of gold medals in a single Asian Games.
Based on the team’s results so far this week, the Indonesian Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking and Dragon Boat Association
(Podsi) is confident that they can pull off the feat.
“In each of the first two races, our men’s team was the first to cross the 250m mark, so we’re optimistic of a
clean sweep of the golds,” said the association’s president, Achmad Sutjipto.
Indonesia won a fourth medal on Thursday as the women’s sepak takraw team took the bronze after falling 2-1 to
China in the semifinals.
In badminton, Indonesia might have seen the last of Taufik in the Asian Games.
One of the country’s all-time greats, he won the gold medal at the 2002 and 2006 Games but was clearly out of form
against Park, whom Taufik had beaten in eight previous matches.
“I played very bad. I should’ve won, because Park wasn’t playing that well,” he said. “But I thought I played worse.”
In the aftermath of his loss, Taufik, who at 29 years old is in the twilight of his career, questioned the overall
program of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), insisting on the need to develop more young talent.
“The association should have used these Games to get the younger players more international exposure,” he said.
“Because for me, I believe that my time is up.”
In beach volleyball, Andy Ardiansyah and Koko Prasetyo Darkuncoro qualified for the last 16 after defeating Japan’s
Yoshiumi Hasegawa and Shinya Inoue, 21-19, 21-15. With the win, the Indonesians topped Pool C.
Things did not go as well on the tennis court, where two Indonesians were eliminated in the women’s singles. Ayu
Fani Damayanti lost 6-4, 6-4 to Lee Jin-a of South Korea in the second round, while Lavinia Tananta fell 6-2, 6-2
to Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Taufik Hidayat
Taufik
ke Perempat Final
Kamis, 18 November 2010
|
|
Taufik
Blasts Badminton Body Over Failure to Find Young Guns
Diah Lestari | November 17, 2010
Jakarta.
Eight years after he won his first gold medal in the Asian Games, Taufik Hidayat is still Indonesia’s best hope
for victory in the quadrennial meet.
And that doesn’t sit well with the country’s leading men’s singles shuttler.
Taufik, who topped the podium in the event during the 2002 and 2006 Games, is looking to complete a hat-trick of
gold medal and he looked sharp in his first singles match in Guangzhou, routing Taiwan’s Hsieh Yu-hsing 21-16,
21-12 at Tianhe Gymnasium on Wednesday.
However, age is catching up with the 30-year-old former world and Olympic champion, who lamented the failure to
find new talent.
“It’s a bit sad that at my age, the country is still depending a lot on me to win gold,” Taufik, currently ranked
No. 3 in the world, said on Wednesday.
“The PBSI [Indonesian Badminton Association] should be ashamed that it’s still looking to me for more titles, when,
in fact, it should be counting on younger shuttlers like Sony [Dwi Kuncoro] or Simon [Santoso].”
|
|
|
|
|
|
INDONESIA IN THE 2010 ASIAN GAMES
|
|
|
|
All eyes will be on Hendra Setiawan, right, and Markis Kido
at the Asian Games in China.
In a down year for Indonesian badminton, they are seen as
one of the country’s few gold-medal hopefuls. (AFP Photo)
Indonesian
Shuttlers in China: It’s Do or Die
The Jakarta Globe
Dominic Menor | November 10, 2010
It’s hard to manage Indonesia’s expectations when it comes to badminton tournaments.
When its shuttlers compete, it’s no exaggeration to say that losing is not an option.
Except losing is exactly what Indonesian shuttlers have done a lot of in recent top-class competitions.
In the process they have lost the aura of invincibility that used to give the country’s best badminton players
an added edge.
Look no further for evidence of how low badminton here has sunk than the predictions for the country’s shuttlers
at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, which start on Friday.
“The realistic target for us is bronze,” national team head coach Christian Hadinata said when the draw for the
Games was announced last month.
Taufik Hidayat, the two-time defending men’s singles champion at the Asian Games, was equally cautious.
“Let’s not talk about the gold yet,” Taufik said after the draw. “Just getting the bronze will be difficult.”
Whether such predictions really reflect a team in its twilight or Indonesia is merely playing mind games to throw
off the competition is difficult to tell.
This much is certain, however — trying to pick a gold-medal favorite in any of the seven badminton events at the
Games is really just a guessing game.
“I get a headache every time I am asked about my prospects for the Asian Games,” Lin Dan, China’s No. 1 men’s singles
player and the reigning Olympic champion, said in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
“There are so many strong rivals. Actually, the world’s best badminton players are from Asia, so it will be no
different from playing in an Olympic Games.”
Men’s singles is generally seen as a four-man race, with Taufik and Lin in the running.
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia is the top seed and will carry with him the momentum of winning the gold medal at the
Commonwealth Games last month.
Another threat is China’s Chen Jin, coming off his triumph at the world championships in August.
Taufik has a history with all three players, so motivation won’t be lacking if and when they meet on the badminton
court.
The Indonesian will be looking to avenge his defeat to Chen in the final of the world championships.
Lin will want to even the score with Taufik after having lost to him in the final of the 2006 Asian Games.
Lee and Taufik have split their head-to-head matches in top-flight competitions this season, with Lee winning the
Indonesia Open at Taufik’s expense and Taufik ousting Lee in the quarterfinals of the world championships.
Lin and Chen are China’s only entries in men’s singles, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they ended up meeting
in the final.
But Taufik and Lee, who are also on opposite sides of the draw, could crash the party and the title game might
turn out to be an all-Southeast Asian affair.
“Three of the top four in the world [Lee, Chen and Lin] are all competing in the Asian Games, so I know winning
again will be difficult,” said Taufik, a former world and Olympic champion.
While his rivals have made a lot of noise this season, Taufik has quietly picked it up in the second half of the
year.
He triumphed at two second-tier Grand Prix events, the Canada Open in July and the Indonesia Open in October.
After challenging for the title at the world championships in August, Taufik reached the final at the Denmark Open
Super Series last month, where he lost.
But he quickly bounced back and won the French Open the next week, picking up his first Super Series title since
2006.
“[The French Open title] is what I’ve been waiting for,” Taufik said. “This victory has made me want to give my
best in the Asian Games.”
After Taufik, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan have the best shot at gold among the Indonesian shuttlers, but it’s
hard to say which version of them will show up in Guangzhou.
Will it be the hungry and focused Markis and Hendra who won the world title in 2007 and Olympic gold in 2008?
Or the Markis and Hendra who have struggled this year and, without a Super Series victory, look headed for the
worst season of their careers?
The other Indonesian shuttlers headed to Guangzhou are facing questions of their own.
What is the real state of Sony Dwi Kuncoro’s health? Has he fully recovered from a back injury and is he ready
to make a serious run at the men’s singles title?
What is the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) doing to make the women’s side relevant again?
The last time Indonesia won a women’s gold medal at the Asian Games was in the doubles category during the
1966 Games in Bangkok. The country’s last women’s singles gold came at the 1962 Asiad in Jakarta.
Can Liliyana Natsir build on her dazzling success in mixed doubles with her new partner, Tontowi Ahmad?
In the Thomas and Uber Cups in May, Indonesia was dumped from the competition by China in the men’s and women’s
categories. Does Indonesia have enough in it to take down China in the team events in Guangzhou?
These questions will be answered in two weeks’ time.
For a badminton-crazy nation like Indonesia, winning is the only satisfactory response.
|
|
|
|
Shuttler Simon Santoso is one of a number of athletes with a chance
of bringing a medal home for Indonesia.
(JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya)
Strong Prospect for Lifting Indonesia's First Asian Games Medal
The Jakarta Globe
Diah Lestari & Sandy Pramuji | November 12, 2010
Jakarta. The time for talk is over, as Indonesia plunges into action in the first official day of competition
at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, on Saturday.
Jadi Setiadi aims to live up to the lofty expectations placed on his sport, when the 25-year-old weightlifter competes
in the men’s 56-kilogram class at the Dongguan Gymnasium.
Indonesia’s lifters are among the best in the world, and Jadi’s coach is confident he can land the country’s first
medal.
“We don’t know what kind [of medal], but we believe he’ll be up there on the podium,” national weightlifting team
manager Sonny Kasiran told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.
Jadi shot to national prominence when he clinched the gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Laos last year,
beating out 2008 Olympic silver medalist Hoang Anh Tuan of Vietnam.
To have a shot at winning in Guangzhou, Jadi would probably have to lift a total of 278 kilograms, four kg more
than his personal best.
Lee Jong-hoon of South Korea took the bronze during the 2006 Asian Games in Doha with a total lift of 277kg.
Jadi didn’t perform well in his last tournament, finishing ninth at the world championships in Turkey in September,
after lifting a total weight of only 263 kg.
Sonny said the athlete had since lifted his game.
“I know he didn’t produce good results in Turkey, but he was able to lift 275 kg in training recently so we believe
he has a chance.”
But it will be another lifter performing over the weekend who could clinch the first gold medal for Indonesia.
Eko Yuli Irawan will compete in the 62-kg class on Sunday, hoping Olympic success might translate into Asian Games
glory.
The 21-year-old snatched the bronze medal in the 56-kg class in the 2008 Olympics, and many see him topping the
podium in Guangzhou.
Eko moved up a weight class last year and the transition appeared to be smooth, with a gold in the 2009 SEA Games
and a third-place finish among Asian lifters at the Turkey worlds.
Two women lifters, Citra Febrianti and Okta Dwi Pramita, are to compete in the 53-kg class, also on Sunday.
In cycling, Santia Tri Kusuma will try to match her previous Asian Games finish when she competes in the women’s
500-meter individual time trial at the Guangzhou Velodrome on Saturday.
However, Santia, a bronze medalist in the 2002 Asiad, will be hard pressed to return to the top three.
The 29-year-old arrived in Guangzhou only on Friday after she failed to secure her Games credentials on time, giving
her no time to adjust to track conditions.
In badminton, the team event gets under way on Saturday morning when the Indonesian women’s shuttlers take on India
at the Tianhe Gymnasium.
Adriyanti Firdasari will hit the court in the first singles match against Saina Nehwal, India’s top shuttler and
the world No. 3.
It will be followed by a doubles match between Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari, and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini
Machimanda.
Maria Febe Kusumastuti will battle Aditi Mutatkar in the third match, before Liliyana Natsir and Nitya Krishinda
Maheswari face off against Aparna Balan and Prajakta Sawant.
Linda Weni Fanetri will take on Arundhati Pantawane in the last match of the day.
“Our shuttlers are all in good condition, and we’re optimistic and highly motivated to win the match,” team manager
Yacob Rusdianto said on Friday.
The winner of the Indonesia-India tie will advance to the quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday night and play Taiwan,
which received a first-round bye.
Indonesia’s men’s team will open its campaign against the winner of the India-Taiwan tie.
Also on Saturday, Ricky Yang will open his bid in men’s English billiards, while Triady Fauzi Sidiq will take to
the water in men’s 200-meter butterfly.
“We’re not putting any medal target on Triady. We just want him to do his best,” Indonesia’s national swimming
team manager Hartadi Nurjojo said.
|
|