Denpasar - Indonesia soared to the number one position on the score sheet of the 2008 Asian Beach Games in Bali after winning all of the five coveted titles yesterday.
Indonesia won two gold medals, in the categories of the traditional martial arts `silat` two gold medals for the dragon boat race and one gold medal in surfing.
After winning the men`s single category, silat expert I Gusti Ngurah Arya Yuda Parmita became the first to take home a gold medal in the 2008 Asian Beach Games. Ni Made Dwiyanti and Sang Ayu Ketut Sidan won the second gold medal for the women`s double category.
Two other gold medals were gained in the dragon boat number, competing in Sawung, Sanur. The Indonesian men and women`s teams both won the 1.000 meter category successfully. Meanwhile in Sanur Beach, two Indonesian surfers, I Made Widiarta dan I Made Raditya Rondi, both won the gold and silver medals, respectively.
Indonesia has collected five gold medals and one silver medal. Indonesia`s toughest competition is Vietnam, who won two gold medals. China and Myanmar have only won one silver medal from the dragon boat race. Meanwhile Brunei Darussalam, Macau, Malaysia and the Philippines have each won one bronze medal.
Shining in Silat
As predicted, Indonesia is still too strong for its opponents in the silat category. This can be seen from the success of Arya Yuda and the duo Ni Made Dwiyanti/Sang Ayu Ketut Sidan. Their success started with Arya Yuda`s excellent performance.
Arya Yuda, who won a silver medal in the 2008 17th National Games held in East Kalimantan , amazed the jury and was given the highest point of 457. The Ganesha University student defeated Vietnamese Anh Nguyen Viet, who won a silver medal by 450 points. Meanwhile the bronze medal went to Brunei Darussalam athlete, M. Khairul Bahrain, with 449 points.
His victory was followed by outstanding performances by Sang Ayu Ketut Sidan and Ni Made Dwiyanti, who competed in the women`s double category. ROFIQI HASAN | ANDY M
Source: http://www.tempointeractive.com (October 20, 2008)