Popo Ariyo Sejati and Risa Suseanty put their mountain biking medals to the test. (Photo: Andika Wahyu, Antara)
Vientiane. Gold medals started pouring in for Indonesian athletes on the second day of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos, though the football team crashed out of the games.
Indonesia won five golds and four bronzes on Thursday to sit fourth in the standings with a total of five golds and 10 bronzes. Singapore leads the standings with 11 golds, three silvers and eight bronzes, Thailand (6-13-6) was second, while Vietnam (6-5-8) was third.
Mountain biker Risa Suseanty bagged Indonesia’s first gold by winning the women’s downhill event, coming in ahead of Thai rivals Ausavee Pradupyard and Vipavee Deekaballes.
The gold medal came as a surprise for the 29-year-old, who missed the last SEA Games due to a rib injury and had not won a gold since Malaysia in 2001.
“I’m so happy I could present the first gold medal to our country. I hope this can be a good start for other Indonesian athletes to win more golds and a good sign for the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia,” Risa said.
A gold rush soon followed. Mountain biker Popo Ariosejati won the men’s downhill event 30 minutes after Risa’s victory, then weightlifter Jadi Setiadi lifted the men’s 56-kilogram gold medal.
Karate presented the last two golds of the day as Faizal Zainuddin won the men’s individual kata. Faizal then took the men’s team kata gold alongside teammates Aswar and Fidelys Lolobua.
Success was not in the stars, however, for Indonesia’s under-23 football team, which succumbed to yet another defeat, losing 3-1 to Burma. The team finished last in its group without a win from three games.
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Going all out: Indonesian Eko Yuli Irawan lifts weight as he competes in the men's 62-kilogram division at the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday. Antara/Prasetyo Utomo
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