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We are still on track: CDM
Despite missing a number of their shots at gold at the Asian Games so far, the Indonesian sporting delegation has insisted that the medal chase was still on track
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espite missing a number of their shots at gold at the Asian Games so far, the Indonesian sporting delegation has insisted that the medal chase was still on track.
'We are still on track,' Chief de Mission Suwarno told reporters at Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium, the venue for the wushu competition, on Monday. He was asked about Indonesia's medal target after wushu athlete Lindswell Kwok failed to win a predicted gold medal.
Indonesia, which is fielding 188 athletes in 23 of 36 sports, has been vying for between eight and nine gold medals. However, developments on the field of competition are not going as planned.
Lindswell's failure followed an earlier debacle at the Dream Park Equestrian Venue.
The bleak medal prospect was compounded by the surprise exit of the men's badminton team in the quarter finals, prompting calls for an overhaul of the sport at which the country once excelled.
Suwarno seemed to be trying to deflect queries about whether the gold target was realistic.
'Nine gold target? The government sets the target. We prepare the athletes,' he said.
'The important thing is to try to improve our medal tally from the last Asian Games,' he added. Indonesia won four gold, nine silver and 13 bronze medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Suwarno insisted Indonesia retained good medal prospects in a number of events.
'In beach volleyball, we defeated Thailand today. In rowing we reached the semi finals. Our equestrian athletes have advanced to the final. We hope they can deliver a medal,' he said. 'We also have medal hopes in bowling.'
At the Songdo Global University beach volleyball venue, Ade Candra Rachmawan and Koko Prasetyo Darkuncoro extended their winning streak in Pool G, with Kittipat Yungtin and Chutipong Sukarayoting their victims on Monday.
Ade and Koko won 22-10, 21-18 to top the group. Their next opponents are Kuwait's Dashti Abdulaziz and Yaqoub Bin Eid on Tuesday. However, teammates Dian Putra Santosa and Fahriansyah exited the competition after losing to Cheng Chen and Jian Li of China 21-17, 21-13.
Indonesia's beach volleyball team is expected to steal silver, but a gold is still realistic, according to coach Slamet Mulyono.
'We did not want to burden the athletes,' Slamet said, when asked about the contingent document which mentioned silver as the team's target.
In soccer, the Indonesian team that faced Thailand to compete for Group E leader lost 6-0. However, the defeat does not affect the team's spot at the round of 16, which was secured after winning two previous matches against Timor Leste and Maldives.
The weightlifting team, meanwhile, could not produce another medal: Deni could only finish in fourth place in the men's 69kg category.
From the pool, I Gede Siman Sudartawa was also just one place off the podium after he clocked 25.42 seconds in the men's 560m backstroke final, in which Japan made a one-two finish courtesy of Junya Koga and Ryosuke Irie.
Triady Sidiq, who came second in the qualifying round, trailed in fifth place in the men's 200m individual medley final, 7.46 seconds behind champion Kosuke Hagino of Japan. Indonesia, having yet to conjure a gold, is facing the ignominy of trailing its regional rivals.
Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar have all won gold medals; Myanmar, indeed, has two, both achieved in sepak takraw.
As of 9.30 p.m. local time on Monday, China was beginning to push out in front with a formidable gold collection, leaving second place to be fought over by host Korea and neighbor Japan. The reigning champions have so far amassed 25 gold medals, with Korea on 14 and Japan 13.
