As West Java’s swimmers continued their domination in the pool, Jakarta’s team won the most gold medals at the 2012 National Games on Wednesday and has taken the lead in provisional medal standings
s West Java’s swimmers continued their domination in the pool, Jakarta’s team won the most gold medals at the 2012 National Games on Wednesday and has taken the lead in provisional medal standings.
Jakarta, which is aiming to recapture its position atop the final medal tally that it lost to East Java four years ago, was first in the standings on Wednesday night with 21 gold, 23 silver and 14 bronze medals.
West Java, which had been in first place in medal standings since the games began, had to be content with second place, collecting a total of 19 gold, 17 silver and 20 bronze medals, while East Java trailed with 17-20-19.
Among Jakarta’s gold medalists were hurdler Dedeh Herawati, hammer thrower Rose Herlinda Inggriana and 8-ball pool player Angelina.
Dedeh shattered her own record en route to winning her fourth gold medal in her fifth appearance at the Games.
Her time of 13.63 seconds means that she improved her previous best by 0.11 seconds. Rose also broke the PON record in her push for the gold.
The athletes who were fastest runners in the games, however, were Iswandi of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) in the men’s category and Serafi Analis Unani of East Java in the women’s category.
Iswandi won gold in the men’s 100 meters with a time of 10.41 seconds, beating Fadlin, also from NTB, who chalked up 10.48 seconds, and Franklin Ramses Burumi of Papua at 10.57 seconds.
“Thank God. This is my first gold in PON,” Iswandi said as quoted by Antara news wire. “I dedicate this gold to West Nusa Tenggara, my father, mother and coach,” he said.
In the women’s 100 meters, Serafi clocked in with the best time of 11.90 seconds to claim the gold, while her teammate Tri Setyo Utami took the silver with 11.97 seconds, followed by Nurul Imaniar of NTB with 12.00 seconds.
In weightlifting, Olympic champion Eko Yuli Irawan won the gold in the men’s 62-kilogram category, following up on his impressive run in the recently completed London Olympics, where he earned a bronze.
However, several veteran athletes saw their dream evaporate on Wednesday, only one day after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially launched the Games.
Susyana Tjhan, who has represented Indonesia at many international events, went down to Natalie Chriselda Tanasa in the wushu competition.
In mountain bike racing, Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Popo Aryo Sejati of East Java lost to Nur Wasito of Yogyakarta in the downhill event.
The Games were also marked by threat of boycott by the East Kalimantan golf team after their backbone player, Sudirman, was ejected from the competition.
Organizers said that Sudirman was ineligible to take part in the Games based on reports alleging that he accepted a cash payment for his most recent tournament, which would void his status as an amateur.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.