One of the oldest yarns in sports says that it is better to be lucky than good.
For athletes such as Fibriani Ratna Marita, though, it is even better to be lucky and good.
After the 16-year-old competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she has another chance to enjoy the Olympic experience. Singapore will host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games on August 14-26, giving Fibriani the chance to become the first Indonesian to participate in two Olympics within four years.
“I’m so glad knowing that I could compete in both the senior and Youth Olympics. With the experience I got in Beijing, I’m sure I can do better in Singapore. I hope I can make it to the final and bring a medal back home,” Fibriani told the Jakarta Globe.
Her first appearance came after some good fortune. The Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee granted Indonesia two wild cards in swimming, which the Indonesian Swimming Association (PRSI) awarded to Donny Budiarto Utomo and Fibriani.
Fibriani finished the women’s 200-meter individual medley, her favorite event, in 2:28.18, while Donny posted a 2:03.44 in the men’s 200-meter butterfly.
She had less than a month to rest following the 2009 Southeast Asian Games, where she finished fourth in the 200 IM, before returning to the national training camp in January.
In addition to preparing for the Youth Olympics and Asian Games, Fibriani also has an education to maintain. She stays on track for graduation by undergoing home schooling with Patricia Yosita Hapsari, a fellow Youth Games qualifier, at Century Athlete Hotel in Senayan. They receive one to three hours of instruction by three teachers from Tuesday through Friday.
“I know it is hard for me to study in an ordinary school like other kids do as the training schedule is tight and does not allow me to go,” said Fibriani, who is registered as a student at SMA 8 Malang, a high school in her home town in Malang, East Java.
“Since I can’t do that, I think it’s better to call the teachers at home. They will transfer my results to the school everytime I finish my examination.”
Fibriani secured her ticket to the Youth Olympics after posting a 2:23.98 in the 200 IM preliminaries at the Singapore National Age Group Championships, a qualifying event for the Games. Her time easily beat the qualifying mark of 2:26.97. Patricia and Pratama Siahaan later joined her in the Singapore contingent.
The road to success is not without potholes, even for athletes who have shown themselves to be Indonesia’s best. With sports federations across the country facing funding shortages, national athletes must support themselves financially, and Fibriani is no exception.
She has used her own money for her daily needs and training while waiting for the government and the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) to come up with athletes’ salaries.
“It’s been disturbing for me. I hope they will take care of it soon,” she said.
Some measure of help may be on the way, though. The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) recently announced it would provide scholarships for the country’s most promising athletes, including those who have qualified for the Youth Olympics.
“It’s one of our efforts to honor our young athletes. They will be the ones to represent us at the 2016 Olympic Games,” said Ade Lukman, head of KOI’s Cultural and Olympic Education Commission.
The scholarships, he said, will come from sponsorships and other outlets, such as the Olympic Solidarity Program from the International Olympic Committee.
“It is great to know that. I hope I can continue my study in the USA or Australia with the scholarships,” Fibriani said.
In addition to the scholarships, she can also draw on the inspiration of her idol. Swimmer Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, is an ambassador for the Youth Games.
“I saw him as a participant in Beijing. Now he is coming as an ambassador. That’s great,” Fibriani said.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on March 29, 2010. Photo: Safir Makki/JG)
22/08/10
Luck, Skill Spark Indonesian Swimmer's Olympic Dream
Vita Shows Brilliance in Women’s, Mixed Doubles
It appears that Vita Marissa is finding success whoever her partner is and whichever division she plays.
Vita teamed up with Nadya Melati to pull off the biggest upset in the first round of the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold, ousting women’s doubles top seeds and local favorites Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty 25-23, 21-12 on Thursday.
However, Vita, who is part of Indonesia’s top-ranked mixed-doubles pair with Hendra Aprida Gunawan, played down her recent triumph.
“[Wong] was still injured so I know she was not 100 percent when she played out there. But that was an advantage for us,” Vita told the Jakarta Globe. “It was a pretty tough first set for us, because they kept changing their tactics and we were impatient.”
“The key is to make my badminton partner — whoever he or she is — comfortable when they play with me. I always tell them not to put too much pressure on themselves,” Vita added.
Wong has been struggling with a knee injury since the All England in March. She and Chin, ranked No.5 in the world, were forced to skip two Super Series last month — the Singapore Open and the Indonesia Open.
Meanwhile, Vita and Nadya will play for a quarterfinal berth when they take on qualifiers and fellow Indonesians Weni Anggraini and Richi Puspita Dili in the second round today.
Weni and Richi beat Malaysia’s Chow Mei Kuan and Lee Meng Yean 18-21, 21-17, 22-20.
Komala Dewi and Keshya Nurvita Hanadia also came away with an upset, beating third seeds Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi of Japan 13-21, 21-18, 22-20.
Indonesia failed to send a third women’s pair to the next round after Suci Rizki Andini and Della Destiara Haris lost 21-11, 21-12 to to Hong Kong’s Chan Tsz Ka and Chau Hoi Wah.
In mixed doubles, Vita and Hendra secured a final eight berth after they trounced Ow Yao Han and Lai Pei Jing of Malaysia 21-11, 21-12.
Vita and Hendra’s next match will be against compatriots Markis Kido and Lita Nurlita, who beat Gan Teik Chai and Ng Hui Lin 21-17, 21-18.
Devin Lahardi Fitriawan and Liliyana Natsir also advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Flandy Limpele and Lotte Jonathans 21-3, 14-21, 21-13.
Indonesia’s last women’s singles shuttler bowed out after Maria Kristin Yulianti lost 13-21, 21-17, 21-18 to Salakjit Ponsana of Thailand.
(This article was was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on July 8, 2010. Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya/JG)
20/08/10
Indonesian President Makes Jakarta a Co-host For 2011 Southeast Asian Games
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday announced that Jakarta would co-host the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.
The capital, however, will only serve as a satellite venue, as Palembang will be the main hub for the regional games.
Yudhoyono made the announcement in front of athletes under the Golden Indonesia Program (Prima) during a visit at their camp at the Indonesian Special Force Training Center, Batujajar, Bandung, West Java.
He also urged the SEA Games organizing committee (Inasoc) to “carefully select the right sports events for the Games, and choose the ones wherein the country has a medal potential after these choices are discussed with other participating countries.”
Jakarta was the sole hub of the SEA Games when the country hosted the tournament in 1979, 1987 and 1997, topping the medal standings in all three editions.
The 194 gold medals Indonesia won in the 1997 Games remain the record, but the country has failed to breach the 100-gold mark in six editions since.
Andi Malarangeng, the state minister of youth and sports, said Jakarta has enough time to prepare venues for the SEA Games.
“The city will be more than ready to hold events with its existing facilities,” he said.
Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said the city government was “prepared” to host the SEA Games, although installing an efficient transportation system will pose the biggest challenge.
“Facilitating the participants with easy access to the venues, which will be spread around the city, will be the hardest,” Fauzi said.
“But I’m sure we can accomplish this if we start working with key institutions.”
Fauzi said he has also coordinated with several officials to discuss ways to prevent flooding in the city, a potential problem the city government cannot ignore because the SEA Games will be held in November, the start of the rainy season in the country.
The Jakarta governor added that he would discuss with the West Java provincial government the possibility of holding several events in the city outskirts, such as the BMX event in Cikole, Bandung; paragliding in Puncak, Bogor; and the rowing events at Jatiluhur Water Reservoir.
“It’s not a big problem to hold some sports outside Jakarta, as long as we can keep the venues accessible,” Fauzi said.
Last month, Yudhoyono announced that Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, would be the main hub for the SEA Games. At the time, Bandung and Semarang were also in the running to cohost the tournament, along with Jakarta.
“I have decided that we should choose the province that is not only ready but has the spirit to be host,” Yudhoyono said.
“I believe that South Sumatra’s governor has the right spirit and will be a good host. That is [South Sumatra’s] advantage, and let us help and support it to carry out the SEA Games,” the president added.
The country was appointed by the SEA Games Council last year to take over as host of the 26th Games from Singapore, which pulled out after it said it would not be ready.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 7, 2010)
Dewi Safitri's Youth Olympic Bronze Medal Backs Big Talk
Dewi Safitri promised she would bring home an Independence Day gift for Indonesia from the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. And the 17-year-old weightlifter did more than just talk by snatching bronze in the girls’ 53-kilogram division on Monday, the first medal for Indonesia at the Games.
Dewi’s third-place podium effort was powered by a 71-kg snatch lift and then a 100-kg lift in the clean and jerk for a combined lift of 171kg.
Her Games performance went one kilogram better than her total at the 2009 Asian Youth Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where she placed third and punched her ticket to the Youth Olympics.
“Before I left for Singapore I promised that I would get a medal as an Independence Day gift for the country. I did it,” Dewi told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.
Bulgaria’s Boyanka Kostova won the gold with a total lift of 192kg, while silver went to Taiwan’s Kuo Hsing Chun with a 174-kg effort.
Despite the medal, Indonesia’s weightlifting coach, Sodikin, said his star lifter could have done better still.
“That’s not her best performance,” Sodikin said. “I think it was because she felt a bit more pressure as she was the country’s best hope for a medal.”
Sodikin said that last week Dewi lifted 182kg — 77kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk — in training before heading off to Singapore.
“But this is still a great achievement and I hope it motivates other young athletes, especially lifters, to excel on the world stage,” he said.
Indonesia’s other star lifter, 16-year-old Zainuddin, failed to follow in Dewi’s footsteps after the pride of the boys squad finished in fifth in the 62-kg division with a total lift of 239kg.
Kim Song-chol, from North Korea, won the gold with a 257-kg total lift, followed by Colombia’s Jose Mena (247kg) and Turkey’s Emre Buyukunlu (246kg).
Zainuddin made the team when he replaced another Indonesian lifter, 15-year-old Sumaryanto, who was younger than the Games’ minimum age requirement for lifters.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 17, 2010. Photo: SPH-SYOGOC Photo/George Tay)
Indonesian Badminton Player Sony Dwi Kuncoro Out of 2010 World Championships
Without even lifting his racket, Sony Dwi Kuncoro finds himself beaten again by a familiar foe.
The men’s singles shuttler has withdrawn from the 2010 World Championships because of a recurring back problem.
The 15-strong Indonesia squad flew to Paris for the Aug. 23-29 tournament on Friday night
However, according to national men’s singles coach Agus Dwi Santoso, Sony chose not join the squad to France after “feeling pain in his back area” during training at the national team headquarters in Cipayung, East Jakarta.
“The pain first occurred during a training session on Wednesday and worsened every day,” Agus said.
“He couldn’t move well, so he said it was better to just focus on having the injury treated than gamble and play in France.”
Sony has struggled with his form since the back problems emerged in March 2009. He didn’t win a title last year and was hampered by the injury during the Thomas Cup finals in May. He broke a near two-year drought when he won the Singapore Open Super Series title in June.
Prior to his back issues, Sony was being touted as Indonesia’s next great men’s singles shuttler, having won the Indonesia Open, the Japan Open and the China Masters in succession in 2008.
Without Sony, Indonesia will now rely on former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat and world No. 6 Simon Santoso for victory in men’s singles at the Paris worlds.
Taufik, whose title in the world championships in 2005 was the last for an Indonesian men’s singles shuttler, is hoping to become only the third male player to win multiple singles titles at the world championships.
Two Chinese players, Yang Yang (1987 and 1989) and Lin Dan (2006, 2007, 2009), have accomplished the feat.
The 29-year-old Taufik will open his campaign against Nigerian Ola Fagbemi, and could face world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the quarterfinals.
Simon’s first-round opponent is Przemyslaw Wacha of Poland.
In men’s doubles, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan aim to recapture the title they lost last year. Markis and Hendra, the 2007 champions and currently ranked No. 2 in the world, withdrew from last year’s tournament because Markis fell ill.
However, Hendra said they are now ready to compete.
“There’s only one goal for us and that’s to win the championship,” Hendra said. “We’re very motivated, because we just want to make amends for missing out on last year’s tournament.”
Markis and Hendra have not been impressive this season, their only win coming in the Malaysia Open Grand Prix in July.
The reigning Olympic champions received a bye in the first round and are set to take on Poland’s Adam Cwalina and Michal Logosz in the second round.
Indonesia was shut out in last year’s worlds held in India.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 20, 2010. Photo: Jurnasyanto Sukarno/JG)
World’s Oldest Cricket Club Aims to Leave Mark in Indonesia
It looks like International Cricket Council awards are good for more than just good publicity at home.
Cricket Indonesia was twice honored by the ICC for having the best youth cricket initiative, and while the Under-15 Ultra Milk Junior Development Program may eventually produce top players, it also brought a more immediate dividend.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), founded in 1878 and one of most famous clubs in the world, began a weeklong tour of Indonesia on Thursday.
In addition to coaching sessions, the MCC also hopes to leave its mark on the game’s development by playing a number of matches against local cricketers in Jakarta and Bali.
“The MCC now will add the pace to that movement. We just want to come and speed up that process,” MCC captain Keith Thomas Medlycott told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.
The MCC arrived on Wednesday after touring Japan last week and holding coaching clinics to encourage cricket at the grassroots level there. It held a clinic at the British International School on Thursday before facing a Jakarta Cricket Association side on Friday.
Medlycott said he did not have to spend too much time introducing the game on Thursday as most of the students had already tasted cricket through Cricket Indonesia’s programs.
“It was fun, and the kids enjoyed it. We — Stuart Barnes, Andrew Cloke and I — also gave a motivational speech about living the dream in front of the kids,” Medlycott said.
Friday’s limited-overs match at the Crown Ceylon Cricket Ground in Cibubur, East Jakarta, ended in a 94-run victory for the MCC, which bowled out the JCA side for 156 after scoring 250-9 in its 50 overs. Dihan Silva led the JCA with an all-around effort, scoring 45 in 42 balls and taking four wickets for 12 runs.
The MCC will also play matches on Saturday and Sunday in Cibubur before departing for Bali, where it will face a Bali XI at the Udayana University Oval in Jinbaran on Tuesday.
After taking in the first match, Medlycott said Indonesia has some quality talent.
“For the moment, I think Indonesia [cricket development], especially in Jakarta, if I see the way they train, the way they play, has been extremely positive,” he said.
Sunday is the focal point of the MCC’s visit. A clinic with children from the Junior Development Program begins at 9 a.m., and British Ambassador to Indonesia Martin Hatfull is scheduled to address the players and students at 10 a.m. A Twenty20 match will follow at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Medlycott said the most important part of cricket’s development was introducing it to the children at the grassroots level.
“[The students] should have a structured school league with perhaps 12 schools in it. If you give them a chance to play cricket at school, it would be a good start,” he said.
“It would be a great help if you could have a couple of seniors there guiding them. I think that’s one of the advantages of the MCC coming here. We have several players who were lucky enough to play for England, so we have a really big knowledge pool.”
One of the JCA players who enjoyed a rare opportunity to face the MCC was 17-year-old Rizky Tri Rubby.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the world. Hopefully it will not be the only one,” the first captain of Indonesia’s U-15 team said.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Oct. 16, 2009)
Bit By Bit, Indonesian Students Embrace Rugby
Unlike the cheering supporters, there was no smile on Anggara Raudha’s face on Wednesday.
The SMA 3 Jakarta captain saw his team struggle during a touch rugby Sevens tournament held by the Indonesian Rugby Football Union at Labschool Kebayoran in Jakarta. The tournament featured boys and girls from six schools across the capital.
SMA 3 Jakarta, the first government-run school to embrace rugby, lost 1-0 to the host and 2-0 to Darunnajah Islamic Boarding School.
However, Anggara’s frustration did not curb his enthusiasm.
“This is the very first tournament for us since we started to practice the game in August last year. I’m so excited,” the 17-year-old said.
Darujannah won the boys’ division of the tournament after three games, while Labschool took the girls’ title.
Anggara was one of 40 students at SMA 3 to join its rugby team after the game was introduced into the school’s curriculum.
As someone who enjoys the prospect of contact, Anggara saw rugby as a natural fit for him.
“I love rugby for its contact. I used to see the game on television played by foreigners, and now I play it for real,” he said.
Boys were not the only ones enjoying themselves out on the pitch on Wednesday.
Girls like Jasmine Oetoro got in on the fun, too. Jasmine, a Labschool student, joined her school’s rugby team in March 2008 after it was introduced as an extracurricular program.
It offered her an escape from the grind of class and homework, though not everyone in her family approved of the idea.
“Mom wanted me to take a traditional dancing class, to be a traditional dancer just like her,” the third-year student said after Labschool’s 4-1 victory against SMA 3. “I wanted to learn something new, and that was rugby.”
At first she was wary of injury because of rugby’s physical contact. But coach Iswahyudi, who introduced the game at her school, convinced her to continue playing.
“So far, my only injury has been to my left ring finger,” she said with a smile.
“I hope the game can continue to develop in the future,” she added. “I hope it can exceed the popularity of [Jakarta football team] Persija one day, and that rugby team supporters will be able to ride a convoy of buses through the streets, singing their team’s anthem.”
Iswahyudi, 25, introduced rugby to students at Labschool and SMA 3 last year, and he said that the game received a warm welcome.
“More kids have registered to join the sport since we introduced the game,” he said. “I think rugby’s prospects are good for years to come.”
The sport received a worldwide boost when rugby Sevens joined golf on the shortlist for addition to the 2016 Summer Olympics. A final decision on their inclusion is expected on Oct. 2 at the International Olympic Committee Session in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Well, the 2016 Olympics is still a long way to go, but of course we want to be there,” IRFU rugby development officer Sam Refshauge said. “We’ll need a long-term development program to achieve that.”
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on August 19, 2009. Photo: Afriadi Hikmal/JG)